A brief and simplified look at what happens between the time the coffee cherry is picked from the tree and the coffee bean is roasted. If you want the specifics, take a look at some of the posts in the Coffee Geek category or email us with your questions. This post serves to provide general knowledge that every coffee drinker should know. There are several variations to the processes below, but here are the rudimentary basics.
Pulp, Dry
There are two tasks to be accomplished: 1. Take the bean out of the cherry. 2 Bring down the moisture level, since moisture can lead to fungus, bacteria, and a myriad of other problems. The “wet method” does 1 then 2. The “dry method” does 2 then 1.
Wet Method
The wet method is called the wet method since after they are pulped, the coffee beans are put in controlled fermentation tanks of water to ferment off the sticky pulp that remains on the beans. Wet method coffees are also called “washed” coffees.
–How does this affect flavor? Washed coffees tend to be higher in acidity, cleaner, with less body and sweetness.
–What countries use the wet method? Most countries use the wet method, the major exceptions being Brazil and parts of Ethiopia and Yemen. The dry method requires extended periods of dry weather, which most countries do not have.
Dry Method
The dry method uses patio drying and oftentimes large mechanical driers to dry the cherries. Since the cherry contains sugar, there is a greater chance of something going wrong, mainly fermentation. After the beans are dried and before they are shipped, they are milled. Dry method coffees are also called “natural” and “unwashed” coffees. This method is the older of the two methods.
–How does this affect flavor? Natural coffees tend to be more full bodied and sweeter coffees. They also provide wonderful crema for espresso. Natural coffees have greater chances for defects such as Rio and fermentation.
–What countries use the dry method? Brazil, parts of Ethiopia (most notably Harrar), and Yemen.
