When browsing Vienna coffee you might run across words like washed, natural, semi-washed, honey, or other words under the category of “process” or “processing method”. While these words may add to the confusion, it is actually a very helpful indicator of what kind of flavor you can expect from your coffee. These are all names of ways farms process coffee cherries before sending it to roasters.
Lets break down what these words mean:
Washed Process
In the washed process, the fruit surrounding the coffee bean is completely removed before the beans are soaked in water for 24-36 hours. Following this, the beans are thoroughly washed and left to dry in the sun. This method tends to produce coffees with a clean taste and bright acidity, often described as tangy. The majority of coffees you encounter are washed coffees.
A bed of washed coffee lays in the sun to dry at La Armonia Hermosa, one of our partnership coffee farms in Guatemala.
Natural Process
Contrary to the washed process, the natural method involves drying coffee beans with the fruit still intact, similar to how grapes are dried into raisins. This method imparts a pronounced sweetness and fruit-forward profile to the coffee.
Natural processed coffee continues to dry at La Armonia Hermosa.
Semi-Washed/Honey Process
In the honey process, while the fruit is removed, similar to the washed process, the mucilage (the sticky substance beneath the fruit) is not washed away but allowed to dry on the bean in the sun. This technique gives the coffee a sweetness along with floral notes, offering a unique taste.
Melvin Cuy, of La Armonia Hermosa, experiments with a new batch of honey processed coffee, laid out to dry on a raised bed.
Understanding these processing methods can significantly enhance your appreciation of coffee. Each method brings out different aspects of the coffee bean. Whether you prefer the clean and tangy notes of a washed coffee, the sweet richness of a natural one, or the floral of the honey process, there's a world of flavors waiting to be explored. So, next time you pick up a bag of coffee, take a moment to consider the processing method, it might just lead you to your new favorite brew!
Looking for some options featuring these coffee processes?
Click the links below to see some of our offerings. *Please note that our coffee offerings change frequently, so we may not have a coffee processed in the method you are looking for.
Washed coffee lays out in rows at Finca San Jeronimo Miramar in Guatemala, ready to be collected, bagged, and exported.
At vienna coffee company…
Our dedication to ensuring that we are a market leader in craft coffee throughout the southeast dictates that we apply the same critical scrutiny used for our complete coffee lineup to any product we offer.
This commitment demonstrates our continued pursuit to provide craft coffee that enriches the lives of customers and producers alike by providing an experience grounded in excellence and hospitality. We custom pick our green coffee beans from regions across The Coffee Belt and always seek responsible sourcing from seed to cup.
Our roasting team ensures each bean varietal is roasted according to its characteristics to enhance its peak flavors. Vienna Coffee Company goes further by evaluating each varietal harvest through coffee cuppings to evaluate and adjust its roasting profile.
Explore our complete line of coffees online or stop by the Coffee House and let our baristas do the brewing for you. We hope that exploring what we offer (whether its organic, single-origin, a VCC custom blend or your favorite flavored coffee) continues your journey in discovering that “Great Coffee is an Adventure”.