Welcome back
Today were going to talk about coffee processing. The differences in each process and how they effect the taste of our beautiful cup of coffee. So let’s get started.
In today’s specialty coffee world, there are many ways of processing the precious little beans we call coffee. So we will go through the most common forms of coffee processing as well as some new experimental coffee processes that are changing the way we drink and taste coffee.
The Natural Process
The natural coffee process is the oldest way of processing coffee. The coffee cherries are farmed then spread out on patios in a thin layer to dry out in the sun. Some producers will make specially raised beds / patios which helps the coffee obtain a more evenly distributed airflow when drying in the sun.
The natural coffee process adds flavours into the coffee. Some good, some bad. But it may also be the only process available to the producer due to not having access to large quantities of water.
The natural coffee process also ends up having quite a large amount ending up in the lower quality domestic market due to being produced as cheaply as possible. But the natural coffee process is still used regularly in the high quality ‘speciality’ coffee market due to certain coffees that are higher quality and are grown with the upmost care and attention specifically for specialty coffee.
The natural coffee process can bring fruity flavours like tropical, blueberry and strawberry. But sometimes produce negative flavours such as manure, boozy and ferment which are unpleasant in taste. So due to it being such an unpredictable coffee processing method because of the unpredictability in flavour, producers growing high quality lots try and ease away from naturally processing coffee as the ups and downs of the flavours of the coffee can drastically effect their income. But if a high quality lot is controlled, looked after with the upmost concentration to detail of the coffees farming and processing a natural coffee can taste phenomenal if brewed and chosen right.
And that’s what we at Caretta Coffee are about – high quality coffee and brewing it right! I always say to people when I’m training them to brew, if you’ve got your hands on a great coffee with a good cup score and you brew it well it can taste absolutely phenomenal. But if you have a heavily processed and fermented or infused coffee and you over or under extract the brew (basically brewing the coffee incorrectly) it will still taste okay, moral of the story is the brewing side is one of the most important things to give a high quality coffee justice. Try and experiment with your coffees, go to a coffee tasting at a local coffee roastery, try coffees that you like, and see for yourself whether you prefer funky fermented coffees or a more washed or natural approach. As I’ve said before, the industry is full of heavy opinions and all I want you to do is enjoy your journey and experiment with everything in it and make an evaluation for these things yourself.
Now onto our next process.
Washed Coffee
The washed coffee process is one of the most well known and used coffee processing methods in the specialty coffee industry it is designed to remove all of the coffee cherry’s flesh before the coffee seed (bean) is dried.
It is a more expensive form of coffee processing due to using a large quantity of water to process it. The flesh is stripped off using a depulper and the remaining cherry and seed is soaked (washed) in the water to ferment. At this stage it removes the remaining flesh from the seed. The washed process has to be controlled due to the amount of waste water that occurs during this method. As well as controlling the time the cherries ferment for, as washing them for too long can result in undesirable flavours coming into the coffee and the higher the temperature of the surrounding environment this process will happen much quicker. So controlling all the variables is essential to producing tasty coffee, especially if it is an expensive lot to the producer.
Anerobic process
The anerobic process involves coffee cherries being put into large pressurised tanks which are then sealed shut and deprived of oxygen. This process forms acids to occur in the fermentation such as lactic acid which brings a unique flavour profile to the coffee. A very unique natural anerobic coffee I’ve had recently was from origin coffee roasters called Butembo which taste like mango, pineapple and grapefruit.
A natural anerobic would mean the coffee cherries are fermented then dried and a honey anerobic would involve the coffee cherries being depulped and dried and in the fermented mucilage which will make the coffee much juicer and sweeter due to having the pulps skin dried onto the coffee.
Yeast inoculated processing
The yeast inoculated process is a form of experimental processing and can produce very unique and funky but tasty results. It is a process which involves putting specific strains of yeast into the fermentation stage of the coffees processing. It has been invented to enhance the great natural characteristics and flavours of the coffee and can in my experience either taste phenomenal or a bit overwhelming.
A recent yeast inoculated coffee I’ve tried recently was from A Matter Of Concrete Coffee Roasters which tasted like diet Pepsi, stevia and liquorice. I know, crazy right!
Now onto the last method of coffee processing that we will cover today
The Honey Process
In the honey process there are several different types: black honey, red honey, yellow honey and white honey. In the process, the pulp (which is the skin of the coffee cherry) is removed but a thin layer of mucilage is left on the seed, black honey being the most amount of skin, red honey being slightly less and yellow and white honey being even less. The coffee is then dried leaving a natural sweetness to the coffee.
And that’s it for today’s coffee processing article. A simple way of understanding how coffee is processed. We will be sure to update this as we go along–we’re on a learning journey just as much as you are.
Until next time, we will catch you on the next one.
