Coffee starts as a fruit - a cherry with a bean inside. Processing is the step where that fruit is removed and the beans are dried. The way this is done shapes the final flavour of the coffee.
Coffee is typically processed in one of three ways:
Washed (or wet) process
The fruit is removed from the bean before it’s dried. This usually results in a cleaner, brighter cup, where the flavours feel more defined and structured.
Natural (or dry) process
The beans are dried inside the whole fruit. As the fruit breaks down, it influences the flavour, often creating coffees that taste fruitier, fuller, and sometimes a bit more unexpected.
Honey process
Some of the fruit is left on the bean during drying. This often produces a coffee that feels balanced, with a gentle sweetness and a smooth, rounded body.
Processing doesn’t determine quality, but it does shape character. Two coffees from the same region can taste completely different depending on how they’ve been processed.
It’s one of the reasons coffee can be so varied and why trying something new can surprise you.
