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Coffee Processing

Have you ever wondered what coffee processing is and what are the difference between washed or natural processed coffee?

The makeup of the coffee cherry can be broken down to 5 areas:

01

The Skin:

Outside of the fruit. This is generally called the skin or the pulp and is almost always removed as soon as possible after harvesting within a few hours in most cases except if the coffee is being natural processed.

02

Mucilage: 

Beyond the skin lies the mucilage. This has a consistency like Honey which will make understanding the Honey process a little easier.

03

Parchment: 

After the mucilage,  this layer looks and feels like parchment paper.

04

Silver skin / Chaff:

Further inside, an even thinner layer coats the seed.  This layer is called the silver skin because of its somewhat silverish sheen.  This layer comes off during roasting.  If you ever notice flakes in ground coffee, that is usually bits of silver skin or chaff that didn’t separate from the beans during the roast process.

05

Coffee Bean:

The coffee bean is one of the two seeds from inside the coffee cherry.

The Three Principal Processing Methods in Coffee

Natural Process

Honey Process

Washed Process

Natural Process

This is the oldest method and probably the easiest of methods to explain, Basically the cherry gets picked off the tree and dried. This method is still used in Ethiopia and Brazil and sometimes in other coffee growing areas, especially when there is no water available. Drying can take up to four weeks, and it is very tricky to ensure that no mouldy or off flavors get into the beans.  This works well in very dry climates or when supplemented by mechanical drying. Natural processed coffee keeps many of the fruit flavors in the beans.  Coffees processed in this way is often full of fruit flavor and often brighter than other coffees.  The pulp is removed mechanically after the cherries are dried by Dry Milling.

Honey Process

Honey process is currently very popular in Costa Rica and it has started to spread to all the other Central American countries.  The mucilage of the coffee cherry is sticky and slimy, so it is sometimes called “honey”.  During the Honey Process, coffee is dried with some or all of the mucilage remaining on the parchment encasing the seed. Coffee cherries are picked, sorted, depulped, and then moved to drying patios or beds for various periods of time.  As there is a little bit of fermentation happening in the short amount of time it takes for the mucilage to dry, coffees processed in this way have significantly less acidity than Washed or Natural processed coffees.

Washed Process

Washed processed is generally the most popular form of coffee processing if there is water available at the location. This process uses a lot of water. Once the fruit is picked sorted and then de-pulped the seed is then washed in a fermentation tank/bath in a controlled manner.  During this phase the seed creates enzymes which will breakdown the mucilage.  This usually takes between 18-24 hours depending on the temperature and or the coffee value . Over fermentation of the seed results in a very distinctive flavor in the cup and not one you would want to experience.  Once the coffee is washed the coffee is moved to the drying patios or drying beds depending on the location. Generally coffee that has been washed normally dries faster than the Natural or Honey processed coffee.

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