Traditional Coffee Bean Processing Methods: Introduction to Common Natural, Washed, and Honey Processed Coffee Beans

Some friends are remarkably skilled - they can accurately identify coffee beans with just one sip, or even determine the approximate origin, variety, and processing method of coffee beans at a glance. This isn't due to their innate intelligence, but rather their understanding of certain judgment techniques.

Observing the Amount of Silver Skin

Regarding variety identification, FrontStreet Coffee has previously shared insights. This time, FrontStreet Coffee will teach everyone how to distinguish coffee bean processing methods.

Although there are many coffee bean processing methods today, they can be categorized into two common global processing methods and two regional processing methods. The universal processing methods are washed and natural. These two processing methods are the most widely used, with washed processing including anaerobic washing and post-wash barrel fermentation.

Natural processing also includes anaerobic natural, slow natural, cocoa natural, and others. These processing methods are essentially washed or natural, and the beans still retain the characteristics of their fundamental processing method.

The two regional processing methods refer to Indonesia's wet-hulling method and Central and South America's honey processing and semi-natural method. These processing methods were developed according to local conditions. Therefore, if you can identify that coffee beans have the characteristics of these processing methods, you can infer their origin.

Wet-hulling can be considered a special type of washed processing. The difference between it and washed processing is that when the beans are half-dry, the parchment is removed to speed up drying. This also easily causes the beans to crack, forming a "sheep hoof" shape. However, in recent years, improvements in wet-hulling technology have significantly reduced the occurrence of sheep hoof beans.

Honey processing and semi-natural processing are intermediate methods between natural and washed processing. The difference between these two methods is that honey processing has no water contact throughout, while semi-natural processing involves soaking the depulped beans in water before sun-drying. From the perspective of silver skin residue, except for raisin honey processing and black honey processing, other honey and semi-natural processing methods are more similar to washed processing.

Now, getting to the main point: under normal circumstances, in roasted beans, naturally processed coffee beans have less silver skin, while washed processed coffee beans have more silver skin, with white lines mixed in the bean crevices - these are the remaining silver skin.

Therefore, observing whether coffee beans have white lines can generally determine whether they are natural or washed processed. Natural, raisin honey, and black honey processed coffee beans shed their silver skin more cleanly after roasting, so there are no white lines in the bean crevices, and there's less silver skin debris after grinding.

But how to distinguish between these three? First, look at the roasted beans. Generally, naturally processed coffee beans have a more uniform color, while honey-processed coffee beans tend to have sugar residue in the crevices or at both ends. After roasting, this caramelization becomes more obvious, meaning the color in the crevices or at both ends will be darker. The aroma of raisin honey processing is more pronounced than that of black honey processing.

Coffee beans with white lines in their crevices can be preliminarily judged as washed processed, except for Indonesia's wet-hulling method and Brazil's semi-natural method (these two have more easily distinguishable bean appearances), as well as the less common Costa Rican red honey and yellow honey processing. Therefore, besides these three countries, seeing white lines on coffee beans generally indicates washed processing.

Using this technique, you can distinguish the processing method of about 90% of coffee beans.

Tasting the Differences in Processing Methods

Besides some regional wet-hulling and semi-natural methods that don't need identification, tasting is mainly used to distinguish coffee beans from the same origin that are available in both natural and washed processing. Flavor differs from appearance characteristics - it's difficult to understand just from others' descriptions; you must personally taste and compare to imprint it in your mind.

Natural and washed processed coffee beans from the same origin show relatively obvious differences in flavor expression, but the inherent regional flavor characteristics remain unchanged. For example, the Yirgacheffe region is described as having citrus, lemon, jasmine, honey, and green tea flavors. Naturally processed coffee beans perform better in terms of complexity and sweetness, with a dominant citrus tone and relatively sweet berry and fermentation aromas. Washed processing, on the other hand, focuses on fresh and clean flavor characteristics, with a dominant citrus tone, jasmine aroma, and green tea aftertaste, with more prominent overall acidity.

Everyone can also understand it simply: in the range between natural and washed processing, natural processing tastes noticeably sweeter, with rich complexity and obvious fermentation notes; washed processing tastes clearer, cleaner, softer, and lighter.

Once you understand the differences between natural and washed processing, the remaining processing methods become easier to understand. For example, anaerobic processing also applies here - anaerobic natural processing has richer flavors than anaerobic washing. In other words, if not processed well, the flavors will be more mixed. Therefore, anaerobic washing is currently more controllable than anaerobic natural. Whether it's anaerobic processes or barrel fermentation processes, both aim to create some surprising flavors through controlled fermentation.

So when we taste some very concrete flavors, they come from anaerobic (enzyme) processing. However, FrontStreet Coffee wants to point out that not all anaerobic coffee beans have such exaggerated and obvious flavors - this is just the result chosen by most processors to highlight certain characteristics. There are also anaerobic fermentation processes like those at the Elida estate, which ferment more pleasing flavors while preserving Geisha characteristics, but not in an exaggerated way. Anaerobic processing is just a technique, and the final flavor expression depends on the processor's goals and skills.

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