The Washed Coffee Bean Processing Method: Advantages and Disadvantages of High Water Costs

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to the Advantages and Disadvantages of Washed Coffee Processing

Currently, the most widely used processing method is the washed process, which can give coffee higher acidity and more stable quality. This processing method uses fermentation to remove the mucilage layer. After removing the coffee cherry peel, fermentation is used to remove the pectin, and the washed method is used to rinse the softened mucilage from fermentation, then mechanical drying is adopted. The drying process takes 1 to 2 days. Of course, natural processing can also be used, but it takes relatively longer, requiring 3 to 16 days. Additionally, washed processed coffee beans have excellent appearance, making them highly popular.

Washed Process: Bean selection → pulp removal → fermentation → washing → drying → hulling → sorting and grading.

Fully Washed: After the coffee cherries have their skin and pulp removed, they enter fermentation tanks and undergo 1-2 days of fermentation (time varies depending on site temperature and humidity) to remove the mucilage layer. The fermentation methods can be further subdivided into different approaches: with water vs. without water, with enzymes vs. without enzymes.

Summary

Advantages:

1. All processing steps in the washed method are done indoors, allowing impurities in the coffee beans to be minimized and quality to be maximized.
2. Since the pulp is removed from the beginning, there's no need to worry about mold issues like in the natural process.
3. The appearance is more complete, with excellent market appeal.

Disadvantages:

1. The process is complex and tedious, making it much more expensive than the natural process.
2. It requires large amounts of clean water. To obtain 1 kilogram of coffee beans, 40-50 liters of clean water are needed, so it's less used in regions with water scarcity.

Knowledge Point: According to the degree of mucilage retention, honey processing is further divided into yellow honey, black honey, and other types.

Conclusion

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a dedicated coffee research establishment that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation only to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three discounted coffee events every month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to enable more friends to drink the best coffee at the lowest prices. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years!

Important Notice :

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