Coffee Process

Natural? Honey? Washing? What do they have to do with Coffee?

Put simply, Natural, Honey, and Washing are three different processes used to yield a different cup of coffee.

On coffee site, we were first hand able to visit the famers and see the process behind every bean. The careful selection of the beans, in order to yield the best crop, was heavily evident. Hence, it is no wonder how we can enjoy such a high-quality cup of coffee when each bean has so much love and care put behind it.

A simple summary of the coffee process begins with the harvest. Once the beans have been harvested they are dried out. This must take place in a specific humidity level in order to complete the next step, threshing. Threshing is when they take out the cascarita also known as parchment from the bean. Once the shell has been removed the beans are then roasted. However each of these steps have many details that all add up to the perfect cup.

The Washing Process

The washing process in summary is where the coffee is separated from the pulp. The pulp is also known as cascarita. The name washing comes from the method used to separate the pulp. Once removed the pulp and beans are left in the water for several hours to ferment.

This fermentation process is vital and requires a lot of hands on and can only be carried out in a location with abundant water access. The growers must be attenuative to measurements, the changing out of water, and the consistency of stirring. The variants in all these factors indicate the acidity level of the beans in the end.

Honey Process

While Honey Coffee has sweet notes of honey, sugar cane, or brown sugar it is not called Honey Coffee because of this variant but more so the process it is derived from. During this process, it is essential to maintain a certain level of mucilage in the grain prior to drying. The mucilage is the sticky layer rich in sugars that covers the grain. The keys component to the honey process is light and temperature control. The variance in these two variables determine the ending tones of the coffee bean.

The three-resulting characteristic from this process are:

Black Honey: a taste with greater acidity and pronounced tones.

Red Honey: A less acidic taste with a creamy body.

Golden/Yellow Honey: A soft coffee that is normally roasted in a light tone, ideal for filtration.

Natural Process

In the natural process, the coffee cherry is dried directly, without removing the husk or mucilage. This is the oldest used process and does not require as much infrastructure for processing. However, to obtain a natural coffee of excellent characteristics the climate conditions have to be optimal and thorough dedication of the coffee grower must persist.

During this process, the cherry is put to dry in outside beds directly after harvest. The weather is imperative during this time. One hopes for good temperatures for the grain to lose the greatest amount of water as quickly as possible. If cloudy days ensue and the drying process is prolonged, it decreases the favorability of the coffee flavor. Likewise, if it rains on the drying cherries or the temperature drops the result are the same.

Thus, the growers must strategically harvest on a precise day and then observe the weather from that point on to determine how long the beans are to dry. Using this process generally results in a sweeter and fruity flavor.