How the coffee is processed after it has been picked can have a huge impact on what goes into your cup. Learning about processing methods is one of the most useful things a coffee lover can do. What Is Coffee Processing? Once coffee cherries are harvested, the juice needs to be extracted from the bean that it surrounds. There are two main methods for this, and each method creates a unique taste. Washed (Wet) Processing The outer skin of the coffee is taken off the seed.
The beans are left to ferment in water to loosen their mucilage, then washed and dried (usually under the sun). The resulting cup is bright, clean and translucent, allowing you to taste the true terroir of the origin. Washed coffees usually have higher acidity and more subdued characteristics.
These include most of the Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Kenyan coffees. Natural (Dry) Processing The whole cherry is put out to dry with the fruit still attached to the bean. As it dries it ferments and the sugars infuse into the bean.
It produces a fuller bodied, fruitier or even wine like cup with less acidity. Ethiopian Harrar and most Brazil coffees are naturally processed. Honey processing A compromise between washed and natural.
The skin is removed but some or all of the mucilage (the sticky fruit layer on the coffee bean) is left on for drying. The extent to which the mucilage is left on will decide whether the end product is yellow, red or black honey. Honey-processed coffees will generally have a sweet, complex flavor profile, with a greater body than washed, but with more clarity than natural processing.
Anaerobic Processing A relatively new procedure in which the coffee undergoes fermentation while maintained in a sealed tank in the absence of oxygen before the drying stage. The fermentation takes place under strictly regulated conditions resulting in highly distinctive bold characteristics which tend to have tropical fruit and wine characteristics and have proven to be somewhat of a Marmite experience for trade patrons!
Why this is significant that when you pick up a bag of coffee labeled "washed Ethiopian" or "natural Brazilian, " you already get an indication of how it will taste when you brew it up.
12cof12 16I had just freshly pressed enough limu for a cup. I brought it to my lips and felt the intense, sweet aroma fill my mouth, Immediately I knew it was coffee from Ethiopia. Experience our collection of washed, natural and honey processed coffees at Global Coffee Haven.