How Coffee Processing Shapes Flavour

Before coffee reaches your cup, it goes through a crucial stage at the farm: processing. Processing is the method used to remove the fruit from the pit (aka the coffee bean). The method used affects everything from sweetness to acidity and body.

Here's a quick guide:

Washed

In washed processing, the skin and mucilage are removed using mechanical depulpers and water fermentation before the beans are dried. The end result is high clarity, pronounced acidity, and origin-driven notes.

Natural

Whole cherries are dried intact, allowing prolonged contact between the seed and the fruit pulp. Once dried, the fruit is removed. Naturals tend to be fruity, sweet, heavier body; notes may include berry, tropical fruit, or wine-like characteristics.

Honey Process

The outer skin is removed, but some of the sticky fruit (mucilage) stays on during drying. The result is often a sweet, balanced cup with some fruitiness and smooth body. There are sub-types: Yellow, Red, Black Honey, depending on how much mucilage is left and how long it's dried.

Wet-Hulled

Common in Indonesia, the parchment layer is removed while the bean still has high moisture. This creates earthy, full-bodied coffees with lower acidity and a rustic, sometimes spicy profile.

Fermented

Fermented methods use controlled fermentation, sometimes in sealed tanks, with or without oxygen to push flavour boundaries. Expect bold, funky, and complex cups, often with unexpected flavours.

A single lot of coffee, when handled using washed, natural, or honey methods, can produce dramatically different flavour profiles. From bright and citrusy to jammy and sweet, or smooth and balanced. Processing doesn’t just preserve the coffee, it transforms it.