Why Are Washed Coffee Beans More Acidic Than Natural Process? How to Say Washed and Natural Coffee in English?

As common terminology in the industry, natural and washed processes are the two most mainstream processing methods in coffee production, and also the two processing methods that newcomers are most likely to encounter.

For coffee enthusiasts who are not industry professionals, although they can simply tell from the names that the two represent different things with different steps and processes, when it comes to tasting, it's difficult to immediately guess whether it's natural or washed like professional baristas can with just a small sip. So, what exactly are the techniques to distinguish between them?

A friend once left a question in the comments section: Is it true that natural processed coffee is sweeter, while washed processed coffee is more acidic?

Understanding Sweetness and Acidity in Coffee Processing

In FrontStreet Coffee's view, this statement is both correct and not entirely correct. Because whether a cup of coffee is sweet or acidic, besides being influenced by the processing method, the flavor of coffee is also determined by various factors including variety, terroir, maturity, freshness, roasting, and extraction. The processing method is just one part of this equation. However, if we focus only on processing methods, we'll find that compared to the two flavors of acid and sweet, the difference between natural and washed processing is actually more reflected in unique aromas and characteristics.

A Quick Review of Washed and Natural Processing Steps

We need to understand that regardless of the processing method, the goal is to obtain the green beans from the coffee fruit. The biggest difference between natural and washed processing lies in whether the outer pulp and fruit skin are removed before drying.

Washed Processing Method

The washed process, also known as Washed Process, is a traditional processing method that uses water resources to treat coffee fruits. Generally speaking, the washed process includes floating selection, pulp removal, soaking and fermentation to remove mucilage, washing or continued soaking, and drying followed by hulling to obtain the coffee beans we need.

Compared to natural processing, coffee farmers using the washed method must equip themselves with depulpers and build washing tanks, and have access to a continuous supply of fresh water, so it's not applicable everywhere. It's most commonly found in places like Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Kenya, and other regions. However, washed processing indeed has multiple advantages: on one hand, it reduces the defect rate of green beans, thereby stabilizing quality; on the other hand, it significantly shortens drying time, making production more efficient. Of course, there's also what we're discussing today – it allows coffee to retain its "washed flavor."

Natural Processing Method

The natural process, simply called "Natural" in English, refers to a natural, non-technological processing method. Since humans discovered coffee in Ethiopia in the sixth century AD, the natural process has been the only processing technology for coffee circulation in the Arab world.

Traditional natural processing doesn't require water at all, and the seed extraction process is also simple: first dry the entire coffee fruit thoroughly, then use machines to crush and hull to obtain the inner beans. As long as there's sun and a place to dry, it can be completed. However, the disadvantages of natural coffee are also significant: it has extremely strong dependence on weather and requires up to a month of drying time. If there's wind or rain during this month, all previous efforts might be wasted. Therefore, this ancient processing method is often concentrated in tropical countries with distinct dry and wet seasons.

Revisiting the Flavor Profiles of Natural and Washed Coffee

Since natural coffee is slowly dried with the entire seed surrounded by pulp and fruit skin, the temperature from direct sunlight provides favorable conditions for the sugars in the pulp while producing fermentation effects, releasing fermented fruit acids and natural sugars into the interior of the seed. Therefore, the produced coffee has complex and varied fruit flavors, along with light body and fermentation notes, often displaying tropical fruits, fermented aromas, brown sugar, and more.

Compared to natural processing, washed green beans need to be mechanically peeled and pulped before drying, leaving the inner seed and a layer of mucilage to be placed in water tanks for fermentation, allowing the produced acidic substances to decompose the mucilage. Coffee beans soaked in water for long periods promote certain chemical changes inside the beans and significantly consume monosaccharides (fructose and glucose), leading to reduced sugar content in coffee while increasing various organic acids. Therefore, washed processed coffee often retains more of the bean's own aroma while having bright fruit acidity, clean, and fresh characteristics.

Can You Distinguish Between Washed and Natural Coffee Blindfolded?

To make a horizontal comparison, FrontStreet Coffee obtained both natural and washed versions of Panama's "Flor de Café" (Flower Butterfly), then used the same pot of hot water for brewing, and randomly selected two lucky audience members for blind tasting. Considering it's not easy to control the pouring points when brewing two pots simultaneously, FrontStreet Coffee divided the total water into four segments for extraction, while keeping other parameters as consistent as possible.

Parameters:
Coffee amount: 16g
Water ratio: 1:15
Grind size: EK43s setting 10
Water temperature: 92℃
Filter: V60
Pouring method: Four-stage infusion

Tasting Results

Natural Flor de Café: The entrance has the fragrance of sweet oranges, persimmons, prunes, and other mature fruits, accompanied by slight cocoa sweetness. Even after the temperature drops, the fruit acidity is not obvious. The mouthfeel is full and well-balanced, with a finish as smooth as black tea, along with some roasted sweet potato aroma.

Washed Flor de Café: The entrance reveals rich and bright acidity, reminiscent of many refreshing and juicy fruits such as lemon, grapefruit, and green grapes. As the temperature slightly decreases, the coffee releases nut and almond aromas, with honey's light sweetness mixed with elegant floral notes, making the entire mouthfeel very light, just like drinking a cup of fresh green tea.

As expected, the lucky audience members guessed the correct answer when comparing both cups of coffee.

Final Thoughts

Suddenly remembering when I first entered the industry, FrontStreet Coffee was once asked by a senior colleague: What kind of coffee do you like? At that time, I answered without almost any hesitation: Natural! Several years have passed, and FrontStreet Coffee has now encountered no fewer than ten processing methods, and has had the privilege of tasting their refined, complex, or exotic flavors, but still can't forget the most classic "natural flavor" in my mind. Perhaps as a novice at that time, it was precisely because of drinking it that I fell in love with specialty coffee, which is why the memory is so profound.

So, as a coffee enthusiast, do you also have a preferred processing method?

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