Nav: Home > Coffee >

The Fruity Sweet and Sour Flavors of Natural and Washed Coffee: An Introduction to Different Coffee Bean Processing Methods

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Natural and Washed Coffee Flavor Profiles. The natural process, also known as the dry process (Sun-dried, Dry, Unwashed or Natural Process), is the most traditional processing method where coffee beans are dried with their pulp and fruit intact under direct sunlight, then dry-milled to remove

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Sun-Dried and Washed Coffee Flavor Profiles

Sun-Dried Method

Also known as the natural process (Sun-dried, Dry, Unwashed or Natural Process), this is the most traditional processing method. Coffee beans are dried directly in the sun with their pulp and fruit intact, then dry-milled to remove the skin. As a result, high-quality beans retain the sweetness of the fruit pulp and the wine-like aroma from fermentation.

The disadvantages include susceptibility to impurities, over-fermentation or mold, and significant climate impact. Using raised beds and frequent turning helps improve quality.

Extremely careful attention is required to obtain high-quality sun-dried beans. Proper sun-drying processing yields coffee with distinct fruit flavors, strong and bold characteristics.

Washed Method

Previously, high-quality coffee beans mostly used washed processing, also known as the wet process (Washed or Wet Process). This mainly involves multiple soaking and washing procedures, fermenting and removing the pulp and fruit skin before drying to obtain coffee beans.

Water washing makes it less likely for impurities to mix with the coffee beans, thus resulting in pure and relatively stable flavor profiles.

Knowledge Expansion: In addition to adapting to rainy seasons, the Sumatran wet-hulling process produces unique earthy and herbal flavors, with a rich, mellow mouthfeel and lower acidity.

In Summary

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation because we want more friends to fall in love with coffee. Every month, we hold three low-discount coffee events because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!