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Washed vs Natural: What's the Difference with La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain?

Those who have been following our recent promotions may have noticed that FrontStreet Coffee has launched washed processed La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain coffee on both our Taobao and Tmall stores. Some friends have been curious: "They're both Diamond Mountain, so what's the difference between this washed process and the natural process we previously had?"

FrontStreet Coffee noticed in our backend that some friends, while harboring this question, ordered both the natural and washed Diamond Mountain varieties to compare at home. So back to the original question: what exactly are the differences between washed and natural processed coffee? Today, FrontStreet Coffee will use the FrontStreet Coffee La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain from our menu to answer these questions! First, let's review the differences in processing steps.

Differences in Processing Methods

The natural process is quite simple! As FrontStreet Coffee often mentions, it's just like how we sun-dry peanuts. Conventional natural processing involves sending the harvested coffee fruits to the drying grounds, then spreading them directly on the ground or on drying beds to dry through sun exposure. Once the coffee reaches a certain level of dryness, it can be collected, and then the parchment layer surrounding the coffee beans is removed using a hulling machine, completing the natural process.

The washed process, however, is somewhat more complicated, with several additional steps compared to natural processing. After the coffee fruits are harvested, they first undergo flotation selection, where the fruits are soaked in water to filter out unripe ones. The selected coffee fruits are then put into a depulper to remove the skin and pulp! After removal, the coffee beans with mucilage and parchment layers are placed in water for soaking to remove the mucilage. After soaking for a certain period, these coffee beans are transferred to another clean water pool, and then the residual mucilage on the surface of the coffee beans is removed through manual stirring. Once removal is complete, these coffee beans with only parchment layers are moved to the drying grounds for sun-drying. After drying to a certain degree, they can be collected, and finally, the parchment layer is removed using a hulling machine, completing the washed process!

As you can see from FrontStreet Coffee's introduction above, the washed process adds the step of removing pulp, skin, and mucilage before drying the coffee beans. By adding this step, the drying time of the coffee beans is significantly shortened, and the fermentation level is greatly reduced, which is one of the reasons for the flavor differences between natural and washed processes. So, what are the flavor differences between washed and natural processed coffee beans? Next, FrontStreet Coffee will use the FrontStreet Coffee La Esmeralda Natural/Washed Diamond Mountain from our menu to demonstrate the differences between these two processing methods! (Natural Diamond Mountain on the left, Washed Diamond Mountain on the right)

Brewing Demonstration

Since both belong to traditional processing methods and have similar roast levels, FrontStreet Coffee used identical parameters for this brewing demonstration. We'll skip the brewing process and go directly to the parameters:

Coffee beans: FrontStreet Coffee La Esmeralda Washed Diamond Mountain/FrontStreet Coffee La Esmeralda Natural Diamond Mountain
Dosage: 15g
Grind level: EK43 setting 10, 80% pass-through rate with #20 sieve, fine sugar texture
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Brewing temperature: 92°C
Brewing method: Three-stage pouring
Brewer: V60
Brewing time: 2 minutes

Flavor Profile Comparison

FrontStreet Coffee La Esmeralda Natural Diamond Mountain: Upon tasting, FrontStreet Coffee can clearly detect fruit aromas similar to citrus, persimmon, and berries, with a texture as substantial as honey. The aftertaste reveals notes of cocoa and fermentation. As the temperature slightly decreases, the sweetness becomes more pronounced. Overall evaluation: prominent aroma, rich layers, and balanced flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee La Esmeralda Washed Diamond Mountain: Upon tasting, FrontStreet Coffee first experiences a refreshing and bright acidity reminiscent of grapefruit and lemon, accompanied by a delicate floral fragrance. The mouthfeel is clean and smooth, with an aftertaste of green tea and cocoa. Overall evaluation: bright acidity, clean mouthfeel, and refreshing flavor, much like drinking a very refreshing fruit green tea.

From the comparison above, it's not difficult to see that the washed and natural processed Diamond Mountain have distinct flavor differences. The Natural Diamond Mountain offers richer layers and more balanced flavors, while the Washed Diamond Mountain provides a cleaner mouthfeel and more refreshing taste.

Why Do Natural and Washed Processes Create Such Differences?

Since natural processing retains the skin, pulp, and mucilage surrounding the coffee beans during drying, the overall drying time is relatively long. During the drying process, the sugars in the pulp and mucilage ferment under sunlight exposure, bringing more complex flavor expressions to the coffee. Additionally, because the drying time is longer, the overall fermentation level of the coffee is deeper. Beyond complex and varied fruit flavors, the coffee also carries certain fermentation notes.

In contrast, the washed process removes the skin, pulp, and mucilage before drying the coffee beans, resulting in relatively shorter drying time and less deep fermentation. Due to the lighter fermentation, the coffee primarily expresses the inherent aroma of the beans themselves, with greater cleanliness. This is why people often say that washed coffee represents the fundamental flavor profile of a growing region.

Some friends might notice that compared to the natural processed Diamond Mountain, the washed version seems slightly more acidic. That's correct! However, the primary cause of coffee acidity comes from the roast level. Although both are light-to-medium roasts, compared to the natural version, FrontStreet Coffee uses a slightly lighter roast for the washed Diamond Mountain because this better highlights its floral and fruity notes. When coffee is roasted darker, it has less acidity; when roasted lighter, it has more acidity, which is why the washed Diamond Mountain is slightly more acidic. Even when using the same roast curve, natural beans would have more sufficient caramelization due to the attached sugar content, resulting in a deeper roast level. Naturally, the coffee would then taste less acidic. Therefore, compared to the influence of processing methods, the roast level actually plays a greater role in determining the flavor direction of coffee.

Conclusion

However, whether natural or washed, both coffee flavor expressions have their unique characteristics, so there's no distinction between better or worse—they're simply incomparable. Which processing method is better mainly depends on personal preference. So here's FrontStreet Coffee's question for you! Which do you prefer—washed or natural?

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473