Picking
How are the beans picked before they enter further processing?
There are several options:
- Selective picking: only the ripe berries are picked by hand; this enhances the flavor. Ripe berries produce a sweet and complex coffee. The downside is that this is very labor-intensive.
- Coarse picking: with a machine, all the berries are picked simultaneously. This is, of course, much faster than selective picking. The downside is that unripe berries are also picked. Unripe berries can impart negative flavors in the coffee if they are not sorted out later.
After picking, the processing begins. This is where the fermentation process begins. Fermentation is necessary to give coffee its delicious flavors. Fermentation can be initiated in various ways. The washed and unwashed methods are the most common, but the honey method is also becoming increasingly popular.
Unwashed
The picked coffee cherries are optionally sorted by ripeness in water; the cherries that float to the top are removed. They are then immediately placed in the sun to dry. Once the pulp is sufficiently dried, all the layers of the cherries, including the green bean, are removed. This is called hulling. Once the green beans are sufficiently dry, they are packaged and shipped to the buyer.
We also call unwashed coffee "natural processed coffee"; that's how we label it on our packaging. These coffees contain many sweet and dried fruit flavors, have a full body, and are lower in acidity.
Crops
As with the other methods, the floaters are removed from the tank. With this method, the pulp is mechanically removed (pulping). The beans, still with a gelatinous layer (mucilage), then enter a fermentation tank. This sticky layer must be soaked off. The beans are washed until all the layers are removed, after which they are laid out to dry. Once dry enough, the beans are hulled, sorted, packaged, and shipped.
Washed coffee has a lower body, more acidity and fresh fruit notes.
Honey Processed
The honeying process falls somewhere between unwashed and washed. The pulp is removed, but a specific amount of mucilage (pectin) remains on the beans before they are dried.
This mucilage, to which the term "honey" refers (and not the sweet taste of honey), remains on the beans as they dry in the sun. The beans must be carefully turned for even drying and to prevent mold.
The taste of honey coffee is similar to a washed coffee, but with more body and sometimes slightly sweeter notes.
The differences in taste
There are some distinct differences in taste between these different processing methods.
- A natural is relatively sweet, has a higher body, the acidity is somewhat rounder and contains riper fruit flavours.
- With the washed method, the taste of the coffee is fresher, brighter and more elegant.
- The intermediate forms such as pulped natural or honey processed often lie in the middle of this spectrum with a fruity character and a medium body.
Decaf
Caffeine can be extracted from coffee. This always occurs before roasting and can be done in four ways:
- Sugarcane / Ethyl Acetate: By using ethyl acetate, this is a natural substance that caffeine bonds to.
- Methylene Chloride: By using methylene chloride, which is a chemical that caffeine bonds to.
- Swiss Water Process: This method is completely free of added chemicals and uses only water and a charcoal filter.
- The CO2 method: This uses CO2 and high pressure to extract the caffeine from the coffee beans.
Each method has its own influence on the coffee's flavor. The decaf process always results in some loss of flavors and aromas. The amount and intensity of this loss varies by method and also depends on the quality of the coffee being decaffeinated.
