Coffee Processing Methods Explained (No: 1/2) : Washed, Natural & Honey
Ever wonder what washed, natural or honey mean on the specialty coffee labels? These are all coffee processing methods. The way a coffee bean is removed from the cherry dramatically changes how it tastes in your cup.
From clean washed coffee to fruity natural-process coffee, the method matters. Here is a quick, simple guide to the most common specialty coffee processing types.
Washed Process
The majority of the micro and nano lot quality coffee we source has undergone a
“classic” washed process. We love the transparent, vibrant, and delicate flavor profile it
offers, but it’s not easy to produce high-quality washed coffee. It requires a lot from the
land, the variety, and the producer. Clean, well-structured, and complex washed coffee
can only be produced when all of the above line up perfectly.
In the washed process, preferably well-ripened coffee cherries are first put through a
depulper that removes the fruit flesh and leaves the coffee seed protected by a
parchment layer covered in sugary mucilage. Most specialty coffee producers use a
small disc pulper that has to be adjusted so that it doesn’t break the fragile parchment.
Broken parchment results in uneven drying and potentially attracts bacteria.
In order to remove the mucilage, the coffee undergoes fermentation. Depending on local
processing traditions, access to fresh water and equipment, this can be done underwater
or without water. Enzymes and microbes break down the mucilage so that the coffee can
go through washing. In Incahuasi, for example, the coffee is fermented in traditional
uncovered wooden crates without water — aerobically.
Washing the coffee happens quite literally by scrubbing and agitating the coffee in fresh
water. It can be done in tanks or in washing channels that also help separate the densest
beans from the floaters. This step is done to “stop” the fermentation. Water used in the
washing and fermentation has to be treated before it goes back into circulation, as it’s
toxic to the ecosystem. Many farmers use manmade treatment ponds to neutralize the
water before it’s released.
Sorting the coffee cherries for floaters Depulping the coffee cherries in Incawasi district in Peru Washed parchment coffee in fermentation tanks in Kenya Washed coffee drying in a drying tent in Santa Barbara, Honduras Traditional Coffee washing channel in Kenya
After the mucilage has been removed, the coffee needs to be dried. This is a crucial step
that determines how the coffee preserves its flavors and how well it ages. Whenever
possible, we favor slow drying under shade. This lets the coffee evaporate moisture
gradually and helps keep the protective parchment layer intact. Fast drying under direct
sun causes uneven results and parchment damage due to fast evaporation. This affects
the water activity inside the seed and ultimately causes unclean flavors and faster
deterioration of cup quality. We favor a moisture level of the landed green coffee
between 10–11% and a water activity around 0.55. Drying normally takes 5–15 days
depending on the environment, technique, and availability of infrastructure such as solar
driers (covered, greenhouse-like structures with built-in drying beds) that help control
temperature, shade, and environmental factors such as rain. Dried coffee must not get
wet again.
For example, in Mexico we financed a solar drier for our partner producer who was
struggling with unpredictable rain patterns.
Examples of Washed coffees on our menu:
Natural Process
Natural process is the original way of processing coffee so that it would be dry enough
to be roasted. This processing method traces back to when coffee was first used for
human consumption. To dry coffee this way, a producer needs only sun, gravity and
time. In a nutshell, after picking, the coffee cherry is dried under the sun as it is.
Natural process doesn’t require water or machinery and is considerably more
environmentally friendly compared to the washed process.
We source a good amount of natural processed coffee, mostly from countries with a long
tradition of processing coffee this way. Brazil, for example, produces primarily naturals.
Ethiopia too has been producing natural coffee since the arabica species was discovered
in its highland forests.
This processing method is equally difficult, as drying a complete fruit so that it happens
uniformly, without mold or negative bacterial reactions, is very difficult. When done
carefully, natural processing gives the coffee seed a highlighted sensorial experience of
sweetness and flavor intensity. People often describe these flavors as fruity, funky,
tropical, jammy, punchy and candy-like.
When we source natural processed coffee, we want it to tick some boxes. Like
mentioned, unattended drying of the coffee will result in unclean flavors. We tend to
enjoy classic naturals that follow a simple pattern. After harvesting preferably uniformly
ripened cherries, producers sort out under- and over-ripe and damaged cherries. Often
the cherries are floated in a bucket of water so that the ones staying afloat can be noted
as lower density, separated and sorted as lower grades. After this, the coffee is placed
on elevated beds to dry. These beds are ideally made out of mesh to allow efficient air
circulation. Often pre-drying the coffee for a day under shade helps increase uniformity.
The cherries are often dried in direct sunlight, in thin layers, and constantly moved to
ensure uniform access to ultraviolet radiation. To extend the drying time, a mesh can be
placed above the beds during the most intense hours of the day. We prefer naturals that
are dried for over 15 days. When drying a complete fruit, time increases the risk of
mold, bacteria and uneven drying. Drying coffee has to be constantly tended to and
protected from moisture at all times. Unlike with washed coffee, the producer can’t see
the parchment or the bean before the coffee is milled at the factory. This means it’s
harder to hand sort the bad beans during the drying period.
Like with all processing methods, access to infrastructure helps. Solar driers are
effective in stabilizing drying temperature and environmental moisture. It can be as
simple as a plastic-covered structure, as long as it allows air to circulate and offers rain
cover. Structures like this offer producers the most affordable and accessible way to
immediately improve quality. Some of the most renowned producers have built
refrigerated containers with controlled temperature to slow down the drying process for
over 45 days. In a normal outdoor environment, natural processed coffee takes around
15–30 days to reach the ideal 10–11% moisture. Since drying time is slow, producers are
often struggling for space to dry their coffees during peak harvest times. Often it’s
necessary to process some of the coffee washed to speed up the turnaround time.
Natural processed coffee on our menu:
Honey Process
Honey process has nothing to do with honey. Here, washed and natural processing
techniques meet in the middle. The name refers to the sticky, sugary structure that
forms as the coffee dries with mucilage still covering the parchment. This method offers
some of the perks of natural processing, such as highlighted sweetness in the cup, but is
considerably easier to execute successfully. Instead of drying a whole fruit with the
intention of drying the seed inside homogeneously, the majority of the fruit flesh is
removed and the mucilage-covered parchment is left to dry in thin layers.
The sugars from the mucilage gradually migrate into the bean, contributing body and
sweetness to the final cup. At the same time, resident yeasts and bacteria present on the
mucilage ferment those sugars into organic acids, esters and other flavor-active
compounds, altering the bean’s chemistry as it dries.
The more mucilage retained, and the longer the drying period, the more pronounced
both effects become. Less mucilage and faster drying produce something closer to a
washed coffee; more mucilage and slower drying push the profile toward natural
territory. Everything in between is a matter of degree. Sun exposure plays a role as well.
The amount of pulp left on the mucilage determines how the process is classified:
White honey: almost all mucilage removed before drying normally on raised beds.
Closest to washed — delicate and clean, with some extra sweetness.
Yellow honey: some mucilage retained, then dried slowly on raised tables.
Balanced — sweet, round, still bright.
Red honey: more mucilage retained, dried slowly, often in partial shade. Fuller
body, deeper fruit, noticeable sweetness.
Black honey: all mucilage retained, dried very slowly, sometimes under cover. The
most intense — heavy, jammy, closest to a natural.
There are no official protocols or fixed drying times. In our view, similar principles apply
across all processing methods — slow drying builds quality and complexity, though
outcomes depend on environmental conditions and available infrastructure. Producers
often develop their own processing protocols and naming conventions to distinguish
their product from others.