What do coffee bean processing methods change in the cup?
Coffee bean processing covers how the fruit is removed and dried after picking, and it directly shapes flavor. Natural, washed and honey are the traditional routes; each one changes sweetness, acidity and body, so two lots of the same variety can taste clearly different once the coffee beans process step is finished and the green coffee is dried and milled.
In the past decade, many methods marketed as special have appeared, yet most are adjustments to fermentation, which has always been part of traditional processing. Natural lots usually show more sweetness and body with lower acidity, but their quality fluctuates more, which is why the method is common in Ethiopia and Yemen and for much Robusta grown in Africa and Indonesia.
The processing method of coffee beans directly affects the flavor in the cup. From natural, washed, to honey processing, each traditional craft has its own unique expression. However, in the past decade, many processing methods touted as "special" have emerged in the coffee world. How exactly are they defined in relation to traditional crafts? This article reviews the characteristics and differences of common processing methods, explores the role of fermentation in tradition and innovation, and introduces the Red Plum processing method of Finca Paraiso in Colombia. Front Street Coffee is always happy to share coffee knowledge, hoping to let more people understand the logic behind processing methods and drink the best coffee at the lowest price.
Front Street Coffee · Colombia Finca Paraiso Red Plum Processing Method Introduction
Special processing methods?
This concept is actually quite broad, generally referring to the collective term for various methods other than traditional processing methods. But the trouble is that the term "traditional processing methods" itself is also vague, and there is often an overlapping area between "traditional" and "special".
The part where the two intersect is precisely "fermentation".
Fermentation has always been a key step in traditional processing methods. In the past decade, with in-depth research on the mechanisms of fermentation, people have begun to try adjusting fermentation conditions to obtain more ideal flavors, and thus many processing methods that "sound very special" have emerged one after another. But in my view, these are just changes in fermentation details and cannot be called truly "special"; at most, they can be regarded as "improvements based on tradition". In fact, the coffee circles in Europe and America pay more attention to fermentation itself and rarely argue about whether it is special. Therefore, in my understanding, special processing methods only leave those operations "beyond fermentation", that is: special = all − traditional − fermentation = exogenous addition.
Natural coffee beans usually show more prominent sweetness and body, with relatively lower acidity, but their quality stability is poor and prone to greater fluctuations. Because the natural method has lower costs, it is not only widely used in Ethiopia and Yemen, but most Robusta coffee grown in Africa and Indonesia is also processed naturally.
The washed method removes impurities (such as stones, debris, etc.) and defective beans through multiple steps, so the green beans have a neat and consistent appearance. It is generally regarded as a representative of high quality, and its trading price is also higher than that of coffee beans processed by natural drying.
The advantage of honey processing is that it can preserve the original sweetness of ripe coffee cherries to the greatest extent, giving the coffee a soft brown sugar tone and stone fruit sweetness. The berry flavor can also support a red-wine-like aromatic base, and it is considered a very elegant product.
The owner of Colombia's Finca Paraiso has always liked to innovate, and this time tried a new processing method, a new exploration based on anaerobic processing.
Red Plum Processing Method (Colombia Finca Paraiso): ferment in a valve at 18°C for 48 hours—ferment in mucilage at 20 degrees for 48 hours—first rinse with 40-degree water, then rinse clean with 12-degree water—controlled drying at 35°C and 25% humidity for 34 hours, until the green coffee bean moisture is 10%~11%.
In short: Front Street is a coffee specialty research house, happy to share coffee-related knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation only to let more friends fall in love with coffee, and every month there are 3 low-discount coffee events. The reason is that Front Street wants more friends to drink the best coffee at the lowest price, and this has also been Front Street's purpose for 6 years!
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
