Processing Methods

Washed, natural, honey, and anaerobic — how coffee is processed after harvest.

Processing refers to how the coffee cherry is removed from the bean after harvest. It's one of the biggest determinants of flavor, often more influential than origin or variety.

The Coffee Cherry

A coffee bean is actually the seed inside a fruit — the coffee cherry. From outside to inside:

1. Skin (exocarp)
2. Pulp (mesocarp)
3. Mucilage — sticky, sugar-rich layer
4. Parchment (endocarp)
5. Silver skin (spermoderm)
6. Bean (seed)

Processing methods differ in how much of these layers are removed before drying.

Washed (Wet) Process

The skin and pulp are removed before drying. Beans dry on raised beds with only parchment remaining.

Flavor profile: Clean, bright, high acidity, transparent origin character. What you taste is almost entirely the bean.

Common origins: Ethiopia (Yirgacheffe), Colombia, Kenya, Guatemala

Natural (Dry) Process

The whole cherry dries intact — no pulp removal. This can take 4–6 weeks.

Flavor profile: Fruity, wine-like, heavy body, fermented notes. Strawberry, blueberry, and tropical fruit are common descriptors.

Common origins: Ethiopia (Harrar, Sidama), Brazil, Yemen

Honey Process

A middle ground: skin is removed but some or all mucilage is left on the bean during drying. Named for the sticky texture during drying, not sweetness.

Honey Levels

Common origins: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama

Anaerobic (Fermentation) Process

Beans ferment in sealed, oxygen-free tanks before (or instead of) traditional processing. CO₂ builds up and creates distinctive flavor compounds.

Flavor profile: Intense, complex, often winey or funky. Can taste of whiskey, tropical fruit, or spice.

Processing Comparison