What are the Taste Differences Between Washed and Natural Coffee Beans? The Contrast Between Natural and Washed Processing is Quite Remarkable

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Sun-dried and Washed Processing Methods

Wet Method

The washed method: produces coffee with good luster, fewer foreign impurities, and slightly better acidity. Countries such as Colombia, Mexico, and Guatemala use this method. Disadvantage: improper processing time can produce off-odors and special acidity.

Harvested coffee cherries include perfectly ripe, overripe, and unripe ones all mixed together. If these coffee cherries are not processed separately, the resulting coffee beans would be unpalatable due to many poor-tasting impurities mixed in. Therefore, these coffee cherries are first washed clean and placed in large water-filled tanks for preliminary sorting. The best coffee beans have higher density and will sink in water.

Overripe coffee cherries will float on the surface, making them easy to sort. First, the outer pulp of the coffee cherries is removed, then they are soaked in a large water-filled tank. After fermentation processing, washed coffee will have a distinctive, clear, and bright flavor. The fermented coffee beans are then washed with clean water, drained of moisture, and dried in sunlight or by machine. Finally, a hulling machine removes the parchment and silver skin, allowing for screening and grading into different levels of green coffee beans.

Dry Method

The dry method: produces coffee with mellow acidity and balanced bitterness. Brazil, Ethiopia, and Yemen use this method. Disadvantage: easily affected by weather, with higher chances of defective beans and foreign impurities.

Coffee is either naturally dried on patios or machine-dried, or a combination of both methods. The processing method involves spreading coffee cherries widely on exposed drying grounds for two weeks, raking them several times daily to ensure even drying. When dried, the coffee beans separate from their outer skin. A hulling machine removes the dried pulp and parchment, then the beans are screened and graded into different levels. Both washed and dry methods can produce the highest quality coffee.

Generally, washed coffee has brighter acidity and consistent flavor, while dry-processed coffee has lower acidity and more variable flavor. Countries such as Colombia, Kenya, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, and Hawaii all use the washed method. Countries including Brazil, Ethiopia, and Indonesia mostly produce coffee using the dry processing method. Coffee screening and grading are determined by bean size and density, as well as the number of defective beans per pound. Like the finest wines, professional coffee's careful handling and selection during production can be seen in the bean quality, as the product carries unique characteristics representing its origin, climate, and growers.

Knowledge Point

Coffee beans are the fruit of the coffee tree, which belongs to the Rubiaceae family of perennial evergreen shrubs or small trees.

In Brief

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