Chapter II · The farm
Processing methods
Washed, natural, honey and anaerobic: what each one does to the cup.
What happens between the branch and the sack decides half of what you taste.
A coffee cherry is fruit. Before its seeds can travel the world, the fruit has to be removed and the seeds dried from about 60 % moisture down to 10–12 %. Every way of doing that leaves its mark on the cup. Producers choose a method by tradition, by climate and by water supply, and more and more often by flavour.
Washed
The cherries are pulped on the day of picking: a machine squeezes the seeds out of the skin and most of the fruit. The seeds, still covered in sticky mucilage, sit in tanks for 12–36 hours while yeasts and bacteria break the mucilage down. Then they are washed in channels of clean water and dried on patios or raised beds for 7–14 days.
- Cup: clean, transparent, bright acidity; you taste the variety and the terroir.
- Needs: a lot of water (traditionally 10–20 litres per kilo of green coffee, much less with modern eco-pulpers) and a steady harvest.
- Where: Colombia, Kenya, Central America, much of Ethiopia.
Natural (dry)
The oldest method: whole cherries are spread on patios or raised beds and dried in the sun for three to five weeks, turned several times a day so they do not mould. The fruit shrivels into a dark husk around the seed, which is then hulled off.
- Cup: fruity, winey, heavy body; blueberry and strawberry notes in Ethiopian naturals.
- Risk: uneven drying gives ferment and "barnyard" defects, so careful turning matters.
- Where: Ethiopia, Yemen, Brazil, and anywhere water is scarce.
Honey (pulped natural)
A middle way, perfected in Costa Rica: the cherries are pulped, but some or all of the mucilage is left on the seeds while they dry. Producers name honeys by colour: white and yellow honeys keep little mucilage and dry fast; red and black honeys keep most of it and are dried slowly in the shade.
- Cup: rounded sweetness of a natural with some of the clarity of a washed coffee.
- Needs: almost no water, but constant attention because sticky beans attract mould.
Anaerobic and other experiments
Since about 2015, producers have borrowed from winemaking: cherries or pulped seeds go into sealed stainless-steel tanks with no oxygen, sometimes for 48–120 hours, sometimes with added yeast cultures (inoculated fermentation) or with CO₂ pumped in (carbonic maceration).
- Cup: loud and unusual: cinnamon, tropical fruit, liqueur, sometimes yoghurt.
- Debate: fans call it innovation; critics say it hides the origin. Taste and decide.
At a glance
| Method | Fruit removed | Drying time | Water use | Typical cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washed | Before drying | 7–14 days | High | Clean, bright, delicate |
| Natural | After drying | 3–5 weeks | Very low | Fruity, winey, full |
| Honey | Partly, before drying | 10–20 days | Low | Sweet, round |
| Anaerobic | Varies | Varies | Low | Intense, experimental |
On the farm in Huila
Our producer, Don Álvaro, washes most of his Caturra: Huila gets rain almost every afternoon, which makes long natural drying risky. For his top lot he dries a red honey under a parabolic greenhouse, a plastic tunnel that keeps the rain off and the air moving. You will taste both in the cupping session in Chapter V.