Washed vs. Natural
Coffee beans. We are still talking about coffee beans.
I wanted to provide some additional information for the people that are new to the coffee world. The coffee beans that everyone uses to brew with are actually, what is essentially, the pit of the fruit of the plant. The coffee beans are inside of the cherry that grows on the coffee tree.
In order to get the coffee beans prepped for consumption after the cherries have been picked, the cherries will go through one of two typical processes: washed or natural.
The washed (or wet) process, starts with the cherries running through a depulping machine that removes the exterior layer of flesh. The rest of the washed process is to remove the remaining, sticky fruit that is surrounding the coffee bean. At this step, the beans are left to ferment to develop more complex flavours and sugars. Once the fermentation process is complete, the beans are ready to be washed. The washing is done with pressurized water jets, hoses, or simply submerging and agitating them in water to separate the remainder of the fruit from the coffee bean itself. After the coffee beans have been washed, they are spread out and air-dried. This process is typically found on smaller farms as the washed process can be done on a small scale.
The natural (or dry) process, starts immediately after the cherries have been harvested as this process requires the ripest and freshest cherries. During the duration of the process, the fruit is left on the coffee bean and extracted at the end. The freshly picked cherries are quickly washed with water to clean them off and remove any debris. They are then spread out on mesh or woven tables to dry out in the sun. These tables allow for airflow on all sides of the cherries, providing for an even fermentation. The cherries are constantly rotated during the drying process to ensure discourage the growth of molds. After a 3-4 week for drying and fermenting process, the dried coffee cherries are run through a hulling machine that separates the fruit from the bean itself. This process often produces a fruitier profile in the coffee due to extended fermentation process.
