Coffee Processing Makes a Difference

Coffee Processing Makes a Difference

In 2002, when we first bought our farm, standard specialty coffee
processing was to pulp the picked fruit, place the beans in a water bath overnight,drain the water and dry the beans. About 80 to 90% of specialty coffee is still processed using this Washed Process method. However, today consumers are being confronted by labels indicating different processing methods. Most baristas and many cafe owners don’t know what those labels mean and can’t
explain them to their customers. For coffee enthusiasts, understanding these methods is a key to purchasing coffee with the flavors and aromas they want.

Washed aka Wet: Coffee fruit is pulped immediately after harvest to remove the outer skin. The beans, still covered in a sticky mucilage, ferment in water tanks for 12 to 72 hours to loosen the fruit. Once rinsed clean, the beans are dried. A variation is “double washed” where after the first washing the beans are
resoaked in a water bath for a secondary fermentation. Known for
"clarity" and "brightness," washed coffees emphasize the
bean’s innate terroir with high acidity and a clean, tea-like body. E.g Hua Daddy Kahilo

Dry Natural: The fruit isn’t pulped instead it is allowed to dry with the whole cherry intact. This results, as the fruit dries, in the coffee beans being infused by the flavors and sugars in the coffee pulp.
It also can result in a ferment note in the coffee. Dry natural coffees are "fruit-forward" and heavy-bodied, often featuring wine-like or jammy notes due to the prolonged contact with fruit sugars.E.g Hula Daddy Kona Sweet

Pulped Natural aka Honey: The fruit is pulped but the natural sugar coating is left around the bean. The bean is then dried,
which caramelizes the sugar. Pulped natural coffees are sweet with dark chocolate flavors, however, subtle fruit, spice or nut flavors are masked by the natural sugar. E.g Hula Daddy Oli

Anaerobic Fermentation: Coffee beans are placed
in sealed, oxygen-free bags or tanks for days or weeks. This environment encourages specific microbes that thrive without air, often resulting in "spice" or "tropical fruit" notes. E.g Laura's Reserve Sl 34

Carbonic Maceration: Whole coffee fruit is placedin tanks flooded with carbon dioxide (CO2) for days or weeks. CO2 slows the breakdown of sugars, creating "silky," highly aromatic coffees with a vinous quality. It can also result in unusual, vibrant aromas such as ripe berries or bananas. 

Co-Fermentation: In this process, coffee is fermented alongside other organic materials like tropical fruits (pineapple, passion fruit),
botanicals, or spices. Unlike flavored syrups, these flavors are integrated during the biological transformation of the bean. E.g. Hula Daddy Kahiko Orange

Thermal Shock: This process uses rapid hot and cold-water
treatments to influence microbial activity, which can enhance sweetness and reduce defects.

Lactic Acid Fermentation: Lactic acid-producing bacteria are added to the fermentation process to create a creamy mouthfeel and complex acidity.

Raisin Honey Process:This process is a hybrid method that
combines elements of natural and honey processing. Fully ripe, high-sugar cherries are first dried whole with the skin, pulp, and mucilage intact. The skin and pulp are removed, and the sticky, sugar-dense mucilage is left on the beans. A second fermentation and drying phase then follows. The cup is typically very
sweet, with pronounced fruitiness.

Yeast Fermentation: Commercial yeast strains are added to the fermentation tanks in any of the above processes. This creates
unique flavor signatures that natural yeasts alone cannot achieve. E.g. Hula Daddy Karen J Red Bourbon

Wet-Hulled aka Giling Basah: Traditional in Indonesia
(notably Sumatra) due to the humid climate. The fruit is pulped and the beans are sun dried only to about 50% moisture before the protective parchment is removed. This creates a unique flavor profile often described as earthy, chocolatey, and savory with low acidity. 

Mechanical Demucilage: The fruit is pulped and the
beans are processed withiut fermentation in a device which removes the mucilage around the bean. The beans are then dried. In Aquapulping, the mucilage is blasted off the beans by jets of water. Another type of demucilager spins the beans and uses friction to remove the mucilage. Mechanical demucilagers are popular for commercial coffee.

Knowing how your specialty coffee was processed can help you
find a coffee that meets your taste.