Processing
An Introduction
WASHED/WET PROCESSED
Most of our coffees are “washed” or wet-processed. In this process, freshly harvested coffee cherries are hulled, meaning the husk and most of the fruit around the bean is removed. The coffee is then filled into tanks where it naturally ferments for 18-24 hours. This fermentation breaks down the mucilage, a sugary, slimy substance that surrounds the bean.
Once the grower decides that the coffee has fermented long enough, the coffee is washed with fresh water to stop the fermentation process. Then the coffee is dried on raised beds or terraces before resting in warehouses for 60-90 days and being shipped all over the world.
NATURAL/DRY-PROCESSED
The second most common method we offer is natural or dry processed coffee. The whole intact ripe cherries are spread out on a terrace or raised beds where they the coffee is allowed to dry slowly in the sun with the green bean inside. After drying, the fruit is pulped in a coffee pulper machine. Dry-processed coffees tend to have a fruity note and can be very intense.
Our coffee from Ethiopia is a good example of a classic, naturally processed coffee. This particular coffee, with its notes of cocoa and mango, makes for an excellent espresso.