How Many Coffee Bean Processing Methods Are There? What Unique Flavors Does Washed Processing Have?

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Coffee Processing Methods

When it comes to different processing methods, three methods dominate the market: natural, washed, and honey processing. Depending on the origin of coffee cherries, there are other more experimental or hybrid methods to process them. However, most coffee professionals remain loyal to these three common methods.

Natural Processing

Natural processing is the most common and oldest processing method in the coffee world. Fruity flavors and sweet notes are often characteristics of natural processing, making it the most popular in the current specialty coffee market. It's relatively simple to operate yet can produce complex and varied flavors.

The process begins with picking and selecting ripe, healthy coffee cherries. They are then typically placed on drying beds, raked evenly, and dried in the sun. Once the coffee cherries are fully dehydrated and the beans are in good condition, they are transported to a hulling facility to remove the fruit pulp and parchment.

A well-produced natural coffee should have complex fruity flavors and sweetness, with a full or delicate body.

Washed Processing

Washed processing has dominated the market for years. Every step in this process is hard work for coffee farmers, but it's well known that despite the hardship, the results are quite rewarding. Since water is an essential part of this process, washed coffees have cleaner and brighter flavors than natural coffees. Starting with the same method of picking ripe coffee cherries and removing defects, the cherries are sorted, and then we use a depulper to remove the coffee cherry skin.

After fermenting in water for several hours to several days, the mucilage on the surface is rinsed clean with water, and then they are placed on patios or drying beds to dry. Many people prefer washed coffee because it's consistent, smooth, and has a clean taste with good acidity.

Honey Processing

Finally, we have honey processing, the least common of the three methods. It's equivalent to a semi-natural, semi-washed processing method, which creates interesting and complex flavors in coffee.

Honey processing is a relatively simple method with the same initial steps as the other two processing methods. Ripe coffee cherries are picked, sorted, depulped, and then immediately taken out to dry. This allows some of the coffee mucilage to remain on the beans until they are hulled. Honey processing produces a distinctive sweetness, fruity notes similar to natural coffee, and has the clean, stable acidity of washed coffee.

Knowledge Point

The quality of coffee can vary depending on factors such as altitude, latitude, and soil chemistry. Growing coffee outside the correct range of factors will significantly alter the final quality of the coffee.

In Summary

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