Before the coffee gets into your cup, the coffee has already traveled a long way. The coffee plant grows in countries around the equator between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. We also call this area the coffee belt. The taste of the coffee is determined by several factors, but one of the most important factors is the processing method used. You have probably read on the labels of a coffee bag: washed coffee or natural (dry) coffee. We are happy to explain what these methods entail and what they mean for the taste of your coffee.

After harvesting the coffee cherries, the farmer removes the skin and pulp from the coffee cherries, which is also known as depulping. The seeds in the coffee cherry (the coffee beans) are separated from the pulp and the seeds are placed in containers with water. How long the coffee beans remain in the water depends on the coffee farmer. Because the beans are in the water, the last layer of the coffee bean soaks off, called parchment. The coffee beans have been washed completely clean and must now dry. During drying, the coffee beans are regularly kept in motion so that no mold can develop in the coffee bean. The taste of a washed coffee can be described as clear, thin, subtle and complex.

In the natural process, or the dry processing method, the coffee cherries are immediately dried on patios or raised beds after harvesting. The seeds (the coffee beans) are still in the berry at that time. By drying the berry, fruit sugars move from the flesh into the coffee bean. Drying the coffee cherries takes a number of days to weeks and depends on whether the berries are drying in the sun or in the shade. During drying, the coffee cherries are turned regularly so that the berries do not rot. When the berries are dried, the coffee beans are removed from the berry, which we call hulling. The taste of a natural coffee can be described as full, thick, intense and sweet.

The washed and natural process are the 2 most commonly used processing methods, but there are other ways to process coffee. We call a combination of the washed and natural process the honey process. No honey is used in this process, but by removing part of the pulp, a very sticky pectin layer remains, hence the term honey. You have the honey process in different degrees:

white honey – 80-95% of the pulp has been removed

yellow honey – 50-75% of the pulp has been removed

red honey – 25-40% of the pulp has been removed

black honey – 5-10% of the pulp is removed

In recent years, there has been increasing experimentation with new processing methods of coffee. For example, we increasingly see that the coffee cherries are fermented. This is often done with a small amount of coffee cherries because the process is very sensitive and it can easily go wrong. But… if all goes well you have a very special coffee in a small batch, this means the farmer has something unique in his hands and that makes the coffee more expensive. There are different types of coffee fermentation.

aerobic fermentation – after washing the coffee, the coffee beans are placed in a bath so that the yeast can react with the oxygen and sugars of the coffee bean.

anaerobic fermentation – the unwashed coffee or honey process coffee is used for this method. The coffee cherries are placed in a vessel to which water is added. The vessel is then made airtight and the yeast reacts with the sugars of the coffee cherries. The taste of an anaerobic coffee is funky, full and fruity.

lactic acid fermentation – like anaerobic fermentation but then lactic acid bacteria are added to the vessel. The lactic acid processing method ensures a coffee that tastes sweet, fruity, creamy and complex