Processing Methods
How coffee cherries are processed after harvest profoundly shapes the final cup — from clean washed coffees to fruit-forward naturals.
Washed (Wet Process)
Complexity: MEDIUM
Water usage: High (15-20 liters per kg of green coffee)
The most widely used method for specialty coffee. After picking, the cherry skin and pulp are mechanically removed, and the …
Natural (Dry Process)
Complexity: LOW
Water usage: Very low (minimal washing only)
The oldest and simplest processing method, where whole coffee cherries are dried intact on raised beds, patios, or tarps for …
Honey Process
Complexity: HIGH
Water usage: Low to moderate (pulping only)
A hybrid method originating in Costa Rica where the cherry skin is removed but varying amounts of mucilage (the sticky …
Pulped Natural (Semi-washed)
Complexity: LOW
Water usage: Low (pulping only, no fermentation tanks)
Developed in Brazil in the 1990s to balance cup quality with efficiency, the pulped natural method removes the cherry skin …
Wet-Hulled (Giling Basah)
Complexity: MEDIUM
Water usage: Low (brief overnight fermentation only)
A processing method unique to Indonesia (especially Sumatra, Sulawesi, and Flores) where parchment coffee is hulled at 30-50% moisture content …
Anaerobic Fermentation
Complexity: HIGH
Water usage: Low to moderate
An advanced experimental method where depulped (or whole) cherries are sealed in airtight tanks or barrels, creating an oxygen-free environment …
Carbonic Maceration
Complexity: HIGH
Water usage: Low
Borrowed from Beaujolais winemaking, this method places whole, intact coffee cherries in sealed tanks flushed with CO₂. Intracellular fermentation occurs …
Lactic Fermentation
Complexity: HIGH
Water usage: Low
A controlled fermentation method that selectively promotes Lactobacillus bacteria by managing temperature, pH, and oxygen levels. Depulped coffee with mucilage …
Washed Fermentation (Extended)
Complexity: MEDIUM
Water usage: High (submerged fermentation)
A variation of washed processing where fermentation time is deliberately extended to 48-120+ hours (vs. the standard 12-36 hours). The …
Swiss Water Decaf
Complexity: HIGH
Water usage: Moderate (recirculated in a closed system)
A chemical-free decaffeination process using only water, temperature, and time to remove 99.9% of caffeine from green (unroasted) coffee beans. …
Thermal Shock (Kenya Style)
Complexity: HIGH
Water usage: Very high (multiple soaking cycles)
A distinctive Kenyan washing station technique where fermented beans are soaked in clean cold water, then flushed with warm water, …
Monsooned
Complexity: MEDIUM
Water usage: None (ambient monsoon moisture only)
A unique Indian processing method where dried green coffee beans are exposed to monsoon winds and moisture in open warehouses …