01/22/2026
Coffee processing 101 ⬇️
• Natural (also called dry process): The whole ripe cherry is sun-dried with the fruit/pulp still on. It’s the oldest/traditional method, leading to fruity, sweet, less acidic profiles (e.g., strawberry, blueberry notes). The image shows dried cherries with pulp intact.
• Washed (wet process): The fruit flesh is removed soon after harvest (depulped, fermented, washed), then dried. It’s efficient, consistent, and gives bright, clean, acidic flavors. The photo depicts depulping or washing steps.
• Honey (also called pulped natural or semi-washed): A hybrid — fruit skin is removed, but some or all of the sticky mucilage (“honey”) layer is left on during drying. It’s categorized by color (yellow, red, black honey) based on how much mucilage remains. This delivers fruity sweetness like naturals, plus some cleanliness from washed. The image shows beans drying with mucilage.
• Wet Hulled (also called Giling Basah): Unique to Indonesia (especially Sumatra) due to humid climate. It starts like washed (depulped/fermented), but the parchment is hulled off while still quite wet (high moisture), then dried quickly. This creates an earthy, full-bodied profile with herbaceous, chocolate notes (sometimes heavier or “funky” due to the process). The photo shows hands handling fresh red cherries, likely during early steps.
