Choosing Coffee Beans for Pour-Over Brewing: Flavor Differences Between Natural and Washed Coffee Beans

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FrontStreet Coffee · Flavor Differences Between Sun-Dried and Washed Coffee Beans for Pour-Over

We often hear about processing methods such as "washed," "sun-dried," "semi-washed, semi-sun-dried," and "honey processing," among which "sun-dried method" and "washed method" are the two most common processing methods.

Even beans from the same producing region may be processed using both "washed method" and "sun-dried method."

This leads many people to feel confused when buying coffee beans: What's the difference between washed and sun-dried? Which tastes better for FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over coffee? Which one should I buy?

Sun-Dried Method

The so-called "sun-dried method" involves directly drying harvested mature coffee cherries. During the drying process, the sugars and aromas from the pulp are well preserved and penetrate into the raw coffee beans.

Additionally, sun-drying requires a longer processing time, meaning a longer fermentation period, resulting in more natural fruity fermentation flavors compared to washed processing.

Washed Method

The "washed method," on the other hand, uses large amounts of water along with machinery to sort and remove pulp. This includes multiple rounds of screening for defective and inferior beans and debris. The washed method involves 1-2 days of fermentation directly in water tanks to remove mucilage before drying.

Through fermentation, washed coffee develops its characteristic fermented flavors, while the taste is very clean, transparent, and balanced.

Differences Between Sun-Dried and Washed

Because the sun-dried method allows coffee cherries to dry naturally, coffee beans mature naturally within the fruit without interference from the external environment. Therefore, sun-dried coffee beans amplify their inherent flavors, possessing distinct fruity characteristics, rich body, intense flavors, and a sweet aroma.

Washed coffee beans, however, have good body, high aroma, and lively acidity.

To put it simply, sun-dried beans are surrounded by pulp during the drying process, giving them distinct fruity flavors. They are sweeter than washed beans.

Washed beans have their pulp removed before the drying process, making it easier to taste the inherent flavors of the coffee beans themselves.

Historical Background

Actually, if we consider tradition, the sun-dried method is the originator of coffee bean processing.

Because coffee's original producing regions—such as various African countries—mostly have scarce rainfall, people choose sun-drying. However, in countries with tropical rainforest climates like Indonesia, where it rains year-round, sun-drying would lead to rotten beans, so the washed method was invented.

From a commercial perspective, washing can shorten the processing time from one month to three to five days, significantly increasing output. However, Ethiopian washed coffee is different. As the name implies, the washed method requires large amounts of water, but Ethiopia itself has scarce water sources, so most Ethiopian beans are processed using the sun-dried method.

Finding High-Quality Coffee Beans

If you're wondering whether washed or sun-dried pour-over coffee tastes better, it ultimately comes down to personal preference—different strokes for different folks. In our view, the processing method isn't as important as the quality of the beans.

So how do you find high-quality FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over coffee beans?

1. Check the Grade

In Ethiopia, coffee grades are classified based on defect scores: G1, G2, G3, G4...

G1 and G2 are grades for washed beans. G1 represents 0-3 defective beans per 300 grams of raw beans, while G2 represents 4-12 defective beans per 300 grams.

G3, G4, and G5 are mostly grades for sun-dried beans, but in practice, you'll find that some high-quality sun-dried Yirgacheffe can also meet the standards of G1 or G2 washed beans.

Higher-grade coffee beans naturally have better quality. However, this doesn't exclude the possibility of raw bean deterioration due to prolonged storage or improper transportation.

2. Find a Reliable Roaster

A reliable roaster can be the icing on the cake for coffee beans. The roasting masters we work with have ten years of roasting experience—they are genuine "roasting veterans" with unique insights into roasting and can fully showcase the flavors of the beans.

3. Keep Tasting, Be Patient in Your Search

Your taste buds will never deceive you. As the saying goes, "knowledge gained from books is shallow." To truly appreciate the differences between these two processing methods, you need to drink more, savor more, and taste more of FrontStreet Coffee's pour-over coffee.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473