Most of the coffee that  almost anyone drinks is washed coffee, or coffee that’s been wet processed. It’s the more reliable of the two methods, producing coffee with higher acidity, which is just another way of saying brightness.

The basic method begins with sending the just-picked coffee cherry through a pulping machine, which removes the outer skin while leaving the pulp (also called mucilage) clinging to the seeds inside. The pulp-covered seeds are then soaked in water and periodically agitated to encourage the pulp to fall off. Fermentation follows, where the seeds sit in water for anywhere between a few hours to a couple of days, depending on the climate, equipment used, and the producer’s preference.

Following fermentation, the beans are rinsed thoroughly and then dried, either outdoors on raised beds, or in a mechanical dryer. Climate and equipment dictate how many days this final step takes.

Washed coffees are produced in almost all coffee-growing countries and make up the majority of what we purchase. There are so many different variations of the method used by different producers around the world. 

Flavour characteristics: Bright clean, juicy flavours. The best washed’s are floral with complex acidity.

Of the two methods, natural processing is the older technique, whereby whole coffee cherry dry intact on raised beds, patios, or mats. Once the fruit is entirely dry, it’s either stored for a period of months or hulled right away to remove the outer skin and the inner parchment. All that remains are the two seeds—known more commonly as beans.

Natural processing originated in places without reliable access to water. The technique makes sense there, where temperatures are hot and the sun is powerful. In these conditions, the drying coffee cherry have little chance to mildew.

When processed well, natural coffees articulate fruited flavours rarely experienced in washed coffees. In a very real way, the beans absorb essences of the fruit’s drying flesh. That’s why natural coffees exhibit a wide range of vivid fruited and sometimes wine-like notes, along with greater body and less acidity.

Natural coffees are exciting, because they have the potential to show off a region’s terroir in a unique way—a result of the coffee beans’ prolonged contact with the original fruit.

Flavour characteristics: Big body with lots of fruiy and floral notes like strawberry, apricot, peach and other intense berry flavours. The best natural processed coffees are clean with distinctive fruity flavours and lots of character.

It’s essentially a middle ground between the dry and wet processing methods.

Using the honey process, a producer de-pulps the cherry right after harvest similar to the washed process, however like the natural process, honey process skips the fermentation tanks and leaves any clinging mucilage to dry with the seed.

When done right, honey processed coffee can literally taste like someone has put honey and brown sugar in your cup of coffee -although the name actually comes from how sticky the beans get during processing. In many ways, this type of coffee is halfway between a washed coffee and a natural process coffee: it’s fruity, but not in as exaggerated a way as some naturals. It often has a more rounded acidity than washed coffees, with intense sweetness and complex mouthfeel.

The honey process is strongly associated with Costa Rica and, in recent years, subcategories have developed: yellow, red, golden, black, and white honey. This reflects the ability this process has to influence the taste and overall profile of a coffee. It can become a highly scientific process, as the level of mucilage – which influences the sweetness and depth of body of the coffee – is monitored and controlled. Typically, the more mucilage left on the bean, the sweeter the taste.

For those somewhere in-between the two camps -maybe someone not so excited about the lemon tartness of a washed coffee or the robust blueberry acidity of a good natural- Honey Process or Pulped Natural is the answer.

Flavour characteristics: Great balance between the bright flavours of a washed coffee & the fruity character of a natural. The best honey processed ones are clean, bright & juicy with lots of fruit & body.

Now let’s break down the different types of honey processing. The following information has been shared by one of our dear partners in origin, Finca Las Lajas in Costa Rica. 

White Honey:
80-90% of the mucilage is removed. The beans are dried on raised beds in direct sun

Yellow Honey:
50% of the mucilage is removed. The beans are dried in low wind and medium sunlight conditions. When drying, they are raked 3 to 4 times a day for a total drying of 1 week.

Red Honey:
80-90% of the mucilage remains on the beans. The beans are dried on raised beds in shaded conditions. When drying they are raked on the first morning and then only once or twice in the afternoon.

Black honey:
Left with 100% of its fruit on the bean. The beans are dried on raised beds in complete shaded conditions.

As a conclusion we can say that the percentage of remaining mucilage will explain mainly the difference between a white and yellow honey. And that the amount of light & drying time will differentiate the most between a red and a black honey.

Black honey coffees are more risky to produce and require constant monitoring to avoid over-fermentation and mold developing. 

In cup black honey processed generally offers a coffee with a full body that match perfectly for espresso. White and yellow processed coffees, in contrast, tend to have a cleaner taste when prepared as a filter coffee.