How to choose the right coffee bean processing method

Choosing the right coffee bean processing method is crucial to making a unique coffee. Different processing methods will affect the flavor and taste of coffee beans, so it is very important to understand the various processing methods and choose according to personal preference.

First of all, the most common and traditional method of processing coffee beans is natural drying. This method is to dry the freshly picked coffee fruits in the sun until the skin and pulp are completely dry and fall off. This allows the coffee beans to retain more natural flavor and produce a sweet, smooth and rich fruity taste. Natural drying takes a long time to complete, usually taking several weeks or months to reach the ideal state.

Secondly, another common processing method is the washed method. In this process, the picked coffee berries are first soaked in water to remove the outer pulp and mucilage. Subsequently, the remaining part is exposed to microorganisms for a period of time in the fermentation tank to remove the inner mucilage, and is rinsed with cold water to stop the fermentation process. Coffee beans processed by the washed method usually have higher acidity and a refreshing taste, and are also cleaner and more transparent.

Finally, a relatively new but increasingly popular processing method is the honey process. This method is somewhere between the natural dry and washed methods. In the honey process, the outer skin of the coffee cherries is removed, but the inner mucilage remains around the beans to ferment. The different colors of the honey determine how long the microbial activity lasts during the fermentation process, which affects the flavor changes of the coffee beans. The honey process produces a rich, sweet coffee with a strong fruity aroma.