Navigating the “process”

Some customers ask what “process” means when choosing a coffee, so here is a basic breakdown of the three primary processes.

The method or “process” used for separating the skin and fruit from the seeds (beans), in combination with the drying of the beans can influence coffee flavor. Here is how and why:

A Washed coffee or Wet coffee is soaked in turbulent water and fermented, which separates the fruit from the beans, which then goes through the drying process.  The natural intrinsic flavors of the beans are more obvious here and can result in a cleaner cup. The majority of the coffees we buy are Washed coffees.

A Honey Process coffee leaves some or all of the fruit on the beans and then spread out to dry with the sugary layer fermenting to different degrees of color.  This imparts an additional fruity sweetness to the beans. It’s perhaps a perfect combination of the other two methods.

A Natural coffee is spread out to dry as the whole cherry, which ferments over time and then the skin and fruit are removed from the beans. This adds fruit forward notes and other intricate flavors to the beans and can result in an incredible cup profile if done right. This is the traditional method, especially where machinery and water are scarce. We aim for high altitude African coffees when sourcing Naturals; the acidity plus additional sweetness from the process can be an exquisite balance.