Processing: What is it?

I have a question:

What’s the best coffee you’ve ever had?

It’s not a trick! I won’t be upset if you don’t say ‘Sanctuary of course!’

Got it? What do you remember the most about this coffee?

Was it the flavour? Perhaps it was super sweet or tasted EXACTLY like a certain fruit?

Maybe it was the texture? Super juicy or clean like a needle tea?

Whatever it was you loved so much about that coffee, there’s a really good chance the processing is responsible. So why don’t we jump in and have chat about it?

Firstly, let’s start with what and when processing is.

Processing is a key stage in coffee production that takes place in countries of origin and is usually carried out by either the farmers, cooperatives or the mills.

The processing itself is what happens to the coffee cherries after harvest and for the most part can be split into three core categories you might recognise: Washed, Honey and Natural.

Let’s start with washed.

A washed coffee, as the name suggests, involves water. The cherries are plucked from the trees, passed through a wet mill to separate the cherries from the seeds inside, and given a good soak. By doing this the water will clean off what’s known as mucilage; a sticky, sugar-rich membrane between the cherry and the seeds.

After washing, the seeds are laid out to dry to achieve a moisture content the producer is happy with before being sacked up and prepared for export.

Moving on to honey.

Perhaps a misleading name as there is absolutely no use of honey whatsoever, this method of processing is a really interesting one and can create some very fascinating flavours.

Same as before, the cherries are harvested and passed through a wet mill but the big difference here is that the super sticky mucilage gets to stick around a little longer. In fact, the washing step is often skipped altogether and instead the seeds head straight for the sun beds a get themselves a nice tan. Literally.

The sugar-rich mucilage is often dried onto the seeds resulting in a sweeter profile. This happens in different degrees with colour being used a reference to amount of mucilage on the seeds. A white honey will have almost no mucilage remaining a almost mirror a washed coffee. On the polar opposite, a black honey will have a lot mucilage remaining and closely reflect a natural coffee. A nice segue perhaps.

Au natural.

Natural coffee processing is the oldest and riskiest method of all. Post harvest, the cherries skip the mill and the showers and get to work in the sun. The cherries are laid out evenly and left to ferment for weeks with the fruit and mucilage encasing the coffee. The risks are huge! Coffee can so quickly over ferment and as time goes on, mould can spread potentially ruining a whole batch in a matter of days.

To manage the risks, coffee is turned regularly and monitored VERY closely. Once the desired moisture is reached, the cherries are milled leaving a deliciously infused coffee behind.

A natural-processed coffee is a firm favourite in the coffee world and for good reason. The profile here is sweet and has huge depth. This gives espressos that perfect milky balance as well as typically adding a delicious emphasis on texture.

So what’s your fave?

Head over to our shop and peruse around. You’ll see washed, honey and natural coffees galore and the tasting notes these coffees and their processing methods have to offer!

Marcus, Sanctuary Coffee