There are many factors that contribute to the flavor of coffee. While we use various types of roasting styles and approaches, we can really only develop sugars and acids that are present in the coffee bean. Geography, farming practices, and processing methods all play a role in the flavor of coffee.
The anatomy of a coffee cherry. Each coffee cherry contains two seeds, or beans. Cherries that contain one seed are smaller and rounder. These beans are called “peaberry.”
The most common processing method is the washed process. Coffee cherries are mostly seed and have a thin, sticky layer of mucilage. After cherries are harvested and sorted, they are depulped. The seeds are covered with a thin, slippery pectin layer (also known as mucilage). In order to remove this, the beans are put into fermentation tanks for anywhere between 12-48 hours. During fermentation, the mucilage becomes sticky and easier to remove. After fermentation, the beans are washed with running water, and then are dried for several days on patios or raised drying beds. The coffees are raked regularly to ensure even drying. Washed coffees develop more clean flavors that best represent their terroir. If you get a bag of coffee and it doesn’t indicate a processing method, it is likely a washed coffee.
Alexander in Bella Vista, Mexico showing us how he floats cherries in water to sort out the defective ones before they get depulped and put into the fermentation tank.
Natural processing is the more traditional method of processing coffee and works best in areas with low humidity and light rainfall. It developed in areas with limited access to a reliable water source. In this process, ripe coffee cherries are picked, sorted and then go immediately onto drying bed. Ideally, picked cherries will be of similar size so that each bean will have a similar level of sugar content and level of fermentation. The natural process is more labor intensive; it can take anywhere from 3-6 weeks to fully dry. They are heavily monitored and must be consistently raked, turned, and covered during rainfall to prevent any spoilage. Once dried, the cherries are milled to separate the dried fruit from the bean. Natural processed coffees are prized for their intense fruit flavors.
Coffees that go through the natural process are dried with the fruit still on it. These cherries are partially dried, and need a few more weeks before being mechanically separated. Photo by Royal Coffee Importers
Honey processing is a combination of washed and natural processing methods. This method became popular in Costa Rica, and it’s popularity has spread to other coffee producing countries. While there is no honey added to the beans itself, the name comes from how sticky the beans get during processing. Cherries are depulped and then left to dry with the mucilage still left on the coffee bean. Over the years, subcategories of honey processing have developed as a way to indicate the level of mucilage and fermentation the beans go through. Honey processed coffees can vary in intensity of acidity and fruit flavors, but they are generally very sweet coffees.
These honey-processes coffees by Cafe Rivense Del Chirripo in Rivas, Costa Rica are placed on raised drying beds. As the coffees dry, they tend to clump together as sugars from the mucilage stick together. Photo by Cafe Rivense Del Chirripo.
There’s a handful of other processing methods, but washed, natural, and honey are the most well known. There is a demand for new types of processing methods, and many producers are experimenting with new techniques to enhance and develop flavors. While processing experiments can lead to new discoveries, it’s important to note that doing experiments can be costly for producers, especially if it’s their first run, and there’s no guarantee that the coffee will taste good, or that there will even be a buyer for the flavors that coffee produces. We are open-minded to trying experimental coffees, but at the end of the day, sometimes nothing beats a coffee that has gone through a tried and true process!