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How Coffee Is Processed — Natural vs Washed vs Honey
By Lama · Coffee
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When you pick up a bag of specialty coffee you might notice words like "natural process," "washed," or "honey process" on the label.
Most coffee drinkers walk past these words without a second thought. But they contain one of the most important secrets in coffee — a secret that explains why two coffees from the same country, the same farm, and even the same harvest can taste completely different.
Coffee processing is one of the most fascinating and least understood parts of the coffee world. Today I want to change that. ☕✨
What Is Coffee Processing?
Coffee processing refers to what happens to the coffee cherry after it's harvested — specifically, how the fruit is removed from the seed (the coffee bean) inside.
The coffee cherry looks a lot like a small cherry or grape. Inside the fruit is a layer of mucilage (a sticky, sweet substance), the parchment layer, and finally the coffee bean itself.
Different processing methods remove these layers in different ways — and those differences have a profound effect on the flavour of the final coffee in your cup.
The three main processing methods are:
- Natural (dry) process
- Washed (wet) process
- Honey process
Natural Process Coffee
What It Is
Natural processing is the oldest coffee processing method in the world — and the simplest.
After harvesting, the entire coffee cherry — fruit, mucilage, parchment, and all — is laid out to dry in the sun. The drying process takes several weeks, during which the fruit dries around the bean.
During this time, the sugars and flavours from the fruit slowly penetrate the bean — giving naturally processed coffees their characteristic sweetness and fruit-forward flavour.
What It Tastes Like
Natural process coffees are known for their:
- Intense fruit notes — blueberry, strawberry, tropical fruit
- Heavy, wine-like body
- Natural sweetness
- Lower acidity
- Complex, sometimes funky fermentation notes
Natural process coffees from Ethiopia are particularly celebrated — they often taste like drinking a fruit juice rather than a conventional cup of coffee.
Best Origins for Natural Process
- Ethiopia — produces some of the world's finest natural process coffees
- Brazil — the world's largest producer of natural process coffee
- Yemen — one of the original homes of natural process coffee
Washed Process Coffee
What It Is
Washed processing — also called wet processing — is the most common method used in specialty coffee today.
After harvesting, the outer fruit of the coffee cherry is removed immediately using a pulping machine. The beans — still covered in mucilage — are then fermented in water tanks for 12-72 hours, which breaks down and removes the mucilage. Finally, the beans are washed with clean water and dried.
What It Tastes Like
Because the fruit is removed before drying, washed coffees express the bean's inherent character more clearly than any other processing method.
Washed process coffees are known for their:
- Clean, clear flavour
- Bright, crisp acidity
- Floral and citrus notes
- Lighter body
- Transparency — the terroir of the origin shines through
Washed coffees are the preferred choice of many specialty coffee professionals because of their clarity and complexity.
Best Origins for Washed Process
- Ethiopia — particularly the Yirgacheffe region
- Colombia — almost exclusively washed
- Kenya — known for its stunning washed coffees
Honey Process Coffee
What It Is
Honey processing sits between natural and washed — and takes its name not from the ingredient but from the sticky appearance of the beans during drying.
After harvesting and pulping, the outer fruit is removed — but unlike washed processing, some or all of the mucilage is left on the bean during drying. The amount of mucilage left on the bean determines whether the coffee is a yellow honey, red honey, or black honey — with black honey having the most mucilage remaining.
What It Tastes Like
Honey process coffees combine elements of both natural and washed processing:
- Sweetness and body from the remaining mucilage
- Clarity and cleanliness from the removal of the outer fruit
- Stone fruit notes — peach, apricot, nectarine
- Medium acidity
- Smooth, rounded body
Honey processed coffees from Costa Rica are particularly well regarded — they have a beautiful balance of sweetness and clarity.
Best Origins for Honey Process
- Costa Rica — pioneered the honey process
- El Salvador — produces excellent honey processed coffees
- Brazil — increasingly popular for honey process
How Processing Affects Your Cup
The processing method is one of the most significant factors in determining how a coffee tastes — arguably as important as the origin or the roast level.
| Processing Method | Flavour Profile | Body | Acidity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural | Fruity, sweet, wine-like | Heavy | Low |
| Washed | Clean, floral, citrusy | Light | High |
| Honey | Balanced, stone fruit, sweet | Medium | Medium |
How to Store Your Coffee After Purchase
Once you've chosen your processing method and brought your coffee home — storing it correctly is essential to preserving all those beautiful flavours.
The Rules of Coffee Storage:
- ✅ Store in an airtight container
- ✅ Keep away from light
- ✅ Keep away from heat
- ✅ Keep away from moisture
- ❌ Never store in the fridge or freezer (causes condensation)
- ❌ Never store in the bag it came in (not airtight enough)
How to Explore Coffee Processing at Home
The best way to understand the difference between processing methods is to taste them side by side.
Try this experiment:
- Buy one natural process Ethiopian coffee
- Buy one washed Colombian or Kenyan coffee
- Buy one honey process Costa Rican coffee
Brew all three using the same method — a pour over or French press works best.
Taste them one after another. The differences will be immediately apparent — and you'll never look at a coffee bag the same way again.
Final Thoughts
Coffee processing is one of the hidden languages of coffee — a set of choices made before roasting that shape everything that ends up in your cup.
Understanding natural, washed, and honey processing gives you a new way to navigate the coffee world — to seek out the flavours you love, to understand why coffees taste the way they do, and to appreciate the extraordinary complexity of what seems, on the surface, like a simple morning drink.
Next time you pick up a bag of specialty coffee — look for the processing method. It will tell you more about what's in the bag than almost anything else on the label. ☕✨
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