As I mentioned elsewhere on the blog, it’s Party time! We’ll carry other natural-process coffees throughout the year, but few garner the enthusiasm of folks in the shop as Party, a natural processed Ethiopian coffee. It’s a pleasantly fruity coffee that’s very sweet with a syrupy body. A lot of what excites our staff and our guests can be attributed to the way Party, and other “natural” coffees, is processed. So it’s a fitting time to jump into the topic of processing methods to understand how critical they can be to the flavor of coffee.

First, let’s first remember that coffee is a fruit. So to understand its processing methods it’s helpful to think about the parts of that fruit. As a whole, this tropical fruit is referred to as a cherry. There’s an outer layer of skin, followed by a layer of mucilage. Then, there’s a thin layer of parchment that surrounds the seeds. We call these seeds “beans” because they resemble, uh, beans. But for the sake of clarity we’ll refer to them as seeds throughout this article.

Natural Process – The Original Method

Natural processed coffees are sometimes labeled as “dry process” or “sundried natural,” and this is the oldest method of processing coffee after harvest. Using the natural method, the intact coffee cherries are taken to patios where they are dried out in the sun, usually over the course of several weeks. Over time the cherries are carefully turned and much of the moisture from the fruit is removed. It’s only after the cherry is sufficiently dried that the seed is then removed.

This processing method has remained popular in areas in which water is a scarce resource, and works best when humidity is relatively low and rain is infrequent. If great care isn’t taken when using the natural process, the entire lot can be at risk of spoilage.

Since the seeds are left in contact with the cherry for an extended time, the natural sugars within the fruit influence the resulting sugar content of the seed itself. For this reason, natural processed coffees are characteristically sweet, fruit forward and full bodied. When done well, as with Party, the natural process can yield an explosion of fruit flavor and an enticing, syrupy body.

Washed Process – The Predominant Method

Unlike natural processed coffee, the washed process (or, “fully washed” or “wet processed”) involves removing the seed from the cherry, and then submerging the seeds in water to start a fermentation stage. During fermentation, microbes and yeast break down any mucilage still attached to the seed. It’s then that the seeds are placed on patios or raised beds to be dried.

Compared to natural processed coffees, washed coffees require a significant amount of water, skilled processors and increasingly sophisticated methods and equipment. For this reason, processing coffee at the farm level can be unattainable for small producers, and third-party facilities are often setup to serve regional farming areas.

Without the cherry and surrounding mucilage impacting the flavor of the seed in the way natural processing does, washed coffees are often praised for showcasing the inherent flavor of the seed itself. Though they may not be as sweet or fruit forward, washed coffees are prized for their cleanliness, or “clarity of up,” and acidity, or “brightness.”

Honey Process – The Hybrid Method

To complicate things, a third method has grown in popularity in recent years. Known as honey process, these coffees aim to split the difference between natural and washed process coffees. In this process, the outer cherry skin is removed but some amount of mucilage is left attached to the seed. This allows for the processor to carefully control the amount of influence the mucilage has on the seed before it is finally mechanically removed.

Despite its name, this processing method doesn’t involve any honey. During the drying phase of honey processed coffee, the tacky surface of the mucilage and its amber color led people to refer to it as “honey process.” In terms of character, honey processed coffees retain some fruit-forwardness and body, while being generally brighter and “cleaner” than natural process coffees. This method was pioneered in Costa Rica, and you can find honey process coffees coming out of several Central American countries today.

Now is a great time to explore this topic and taste the variety of processing methods available in the specialty coffee market. Along with Party, a natural processed coffee, we currently have two additional fully washed Ethiopian coffees on our menu. And soon, Costa Rican coffees will begin hitting the market, and you can expand your understanding of honey process coffees.

As always, we welcome questions about this topic or any others relating to coffee production. Send an email anytime to jonathan@mammothespresso.com and I’ll be happy to talk more.