Processing Methods: Washed, Natural, and Honey

Processing Methods: Washed, Natural, and Honey

You've picked the perfect ripe coffee cherries from high-altitude farms, and now they're sitting in baskets, ready for the next step. What happens in the next few days will dramatically shape the flavor of the coffee in your cup. Welcome to the fascinating world of coffee processing, where the same beans can taste like blueberry jam or crisp apple depending on how they're handled after harvest.

If you've ever wondered why some coffees taste bright and clean while others are intensely fruity, or why that bag you bought says "honey processed" but tastes nothing like honey, you're about to find out.

Why Processing Matters So Much

The "beans" we roast are actually seeds hiding inside a cherry. Before we can roast them, we need to remove all that fruit. But how we remove the fruit layers creates wildly different flavors through fermentation, drying time, and chemical reactions.

Think of it this way: processing is like the difference between sun-dried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes. Same ingredient, totally different result.

Washed Processing: Clean and Bright

The Method:

  1. Depulping: Freshly picked cherries go through a machine that squeezes off the outer skin and most of the fruit
  2. Fermentation: The beans soak in water tanks for 12-72 hours. Natural enzymes and microbes break down the sticky mucilage
  3. Washing: Beans are rinsed thoroughly, removing all remaining fruit
  4. Drying: Clean beans dry on raised beds or patios for 1-3 weeks until they reach optimal moisture content

What It Tastes Like: Washed coffees are known for their clarity and brightness. Without the fruit interfering, you taste the pure essence of the bean. Expect pronounced acidity, tea-like clarity, and delicate flavors.

Common Flavor Notes: Citrus, floral, green apple, black tea, jasmine

Environmental Note: Washed processing requires significant water (up to 150 liters per kilogram of coffee!), making it environmentally intensive.

Natural Processing: Fruit-Forward and Bold

The Method:

  1. Whole cherry drying: Freshly picked cherries are spread on raised beds or patios
  2. Sun-drying: Cherries dry in the sun for 3-6 weeks, getting raked regularly to ensure even drying
  3. Hulling: Once completely dried, machines remove all the dried fruit layers at once

What It Tastes Like: Because the bean stays in contact with the fruit during the entire drying process, it absorbs sugars and develops intense, fruit-forward flavors. Natural processed coffees are syrupy, full-bodied, and often taste like berry compote or wine. The fermentation that occurs during the long drying time creates complexity and sometimes funky, unexpected notes.

Common Flavor Notes: Blueberry, strawberry, tropical fruit, wine, chocolate, jam-like sweetness

Where You'll Find It: Ethiopia (the birthplace of coffee and natural processing), Brazil, and increasingly in innovative farms worldwide. It's perfect for dry climates where water is scarce.

Honey Processing: The Sweet Spot Between

The Method:

  1. Depulping: The outer skin is removed, but some or all of the sticky mucilage (the "honey") stays on the bean
  2. Drying: Beans dry with varying amounts of mucilage intact, creating different levels:
    • White honey: 80-90% mucilage removed (closest to washed)
    • Yellow honey: 50-75% mucilage removed
    • Red honey: 25-50% mucilage removed
    • Black honey: Almost all mucilage left on (closest to natural)
  3. Hulling: Dried mucilage and parchment are removed

What It Tastes Like: Honey processed coffees strike a beautiful balance. You get the clarity and brightness of washed coffee with the sweetness and body of natural processing. The result is often super sweet with syrupy body and balanced acidity.

Common Flavor Notes: Brown sugar, honey, caramel, stone fruit, balanced fruit notes, chocolate

Where You'll Find It: Costa Rica pioneered and perfected this method, but it's now popular in El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Brazil.

The Name: The "honey" name comes from how sticky and golden the beans look during drying, not because honey is involved in any way!

At Café Altira: Processing Methods Matter

We carefully select coffees processed in different ways to give you variety and showcase what each method does best. Next time you visit, try a side-by-side tasting of our washed and natural processed coffees. Can you taste the brightness of the washed versus the fruit-bomb intensity of the natural?

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