Steps for Making Sun-Dried Coffee Beans: A Clear vs. Full Flavor Comparison of Washed and Sun-Dried Beans

FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Sun-Dried and Washed Coffee Processing

Washed Method

The washed method, a technique invented by the Dutch in the 18th century, is the most common processing method. Washed beans currently account for about 50% of all coffee production and are suitable for rainy regions.

Specific Processing Steps

As in the first step of the sun-dried method, the inferior beans are removed first.

A pulping machine then strips the pulp and flesh from the coffee fruit.

The beans are placed in a water tank to ferment for 16-36 hours, allowing fermentation bacteria to dissolve the pectin.

To remove residual fermentation bacteria and impurities, the coffee beans are washed again at this point.

A machine then dries the coffee until the moisture content drops to 10%-14%. Finally, a huller removes the silver skin wrapped around the beans to complete the process.

Flavor

Coffee processed by the washed method develops acidic substances during fermentation in the tank, resulting in a bright flavor, stronger acidity and fewer impurities.

Sun-Dried Method

The sun-dried method is one of the most "simple and crude" of all coffee processing methods. The whole process comes down to three key steps: "harvesting, sun-drying, hulling." Sun-dried coffee is one of the most primitive processing methods, handed down since commercial coffee cultivation began. Yet what appears simple actually involves many influencing factors.

In principle, the sun-dried method can be carried out wherever there is stable direct sunlight, but many coffee-producing countries have poor production conditions. Many farmers can only spread coffee on the ground to dry, which causes the beans to pick up more earthy and onion flavors. For this reason, sun-dried beans have historically had a poor reputation.

As for the advantages of sun-dried coffee, the most obvious is the coffee's own charming flavor. The sun-dried method retains the coffee pulp and skin during fermentation, and that is what brings charming wine aromas and fruit flavors to the cup, along with excellent sweetness and complex aromas.

For many coffee enthusiasts, nothing is more appealing than a charming aroma, and sun-dried coffee captures consumers' attention right from the aroma. Although a delicious sun-dried coffee has charming flavors, explosive aromas and high sweetness, the sun-dried processing method also presents significant challenges.

Knowledge Point

According to the degree of pectin retention, honey processing is further divided into yellow honey, black honey and other styles.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the clean, bright character of washed coffee is what you enjoy, FrontStreet's washed Yirgacheffe Guodingding Cooperative coffee is a fine example. Grown in the Worka district at the south-eastern edge of Yirgacheffe, it is fully washed, and that process draws out jasmine and bright citrus acidity to the fullest. Roasted to a medium-light level, it also shows green tea and honey notes and suits pour-over, cold brew and espresso alike.

When it comes to the washed method, FrontStreet's Kenya Small Tomato is one of the best-known representatives, since Kenya excels at double-washed processing. Washing the beans repeatedly through flotation, soaking and rinsing pushes the juice-like character to its limit: cherry tomato, smoked plum, snow pear, black plum and yellow sugar fill the cup, with a sweet-and-sour, juicy body that many coffee lovers rank among their favorites.

FrontStreet's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 is another washed classic. Jamaica suffers from limited sunshine, and because it has an island climate with shorter daylight hours, the washed method was adopted to reduce the chance of beans spoiling. Removing the skin, pulp and mucilage before drying cuts the moisture and shortens drying time, producing beans of translucent color and low defect rate. The result is a full, rounded cup with hazelnut, cream, chocolate and caramel, balanced so that no single note dominates.