How is coffee processed?

How to produce washed coffee:

1. First, the skin and pulp are carefully removed from the berries with a machine called a depulper , leaving only the coffee beans, which are actually two seeds from inside the berry.
   
   
   
2. The beans are then placed in a large vat of water, where the coffee beans soak and the fermentation process begins.
   
   The function of the water is to get the last remnants of pulp off the beans. How long it takes to remove the pulp is affected by the climate and how ripe the berries have been, and is typically measured in a very basic way, namely by putting a stick in the water tank and seeing if the beans stick to the stick.
   
   When the beans are no longer stuck to the stick, the pulp has begun to dissolve.
   
   
   
3. To rinse the pulp from the beans, you pass the beans into water through some long, small channels, where you can use a rake to move the beans around in the water and get the remains of the pulp to release.
   
   
   
4. The beans are then dried. It is important to pay attention to whether the beans are dry enough - they should preferably have a residual moisture content below 15%.
5. Too much moisture in the beans can cause the beans to mold during transport to Europe.

What does washed coffee taste like?

Washed coffee is typically transparent in taste - meaning that it is relatively clear to identify the flavor nuances in the coffee. This becomes even clearer when the beans are roasted lightly and gently.

Washed coffee often has a pure taste of red berries like freshly picked cherries, where both acidity and sweetness are present, perhaps with a slight predominance of the fruity acidity.

What does natural coffee taste like?

Naturally processed coffee adds some other fruity elements. The flavors of strawberry or sweet blueberries are some of the ones you typically see. There will also be a heavy sweetness in the taste, which comes from the fermentation itself.

Therefore, you will probably find that the aroma from the coffee beans is much more intense, especially when you start grinding them, than during the other two processing stages.

You will also typically find that naturally processed coffee is typically a little less complex, with only one or two prominent flavor elements.

A spectrum of flavors

In terms of character, there is a big difference between the three processing methods, but there are also differences in taste within the processing methods.

For example, honey processed coffee can be what is called white honey , where you only have a little pulp left on the bean, and black honey , where you have almost all the pulp left. In terms of taste, the two honey processings will be different. A black honey will be sweeter and move closer to a natural processed coffee, whereas a white honey will be more like a washed coffee.

What is anaerobic fermentation?

With anaerobic fermentation, the presence of oxygen is removed to make room for other bacterial cultures that can take over and add flavor to the coffee.

Anaerobic fermentation is done at various stages, from very simple to very controlled temperature and time. What is common to all anaerobic fermentation is that the coffee is sealed in barrels that can remove oxygen, for example by filling the barrel with water or another gas, thus making room for the new bacteria to take over.

What does anaerobic fermentation taste like?

Anaerobic fermentation adds a sweetness to the coffee, but in a way where the sweetness becomes almost liqueur-like - you can simply feel a liqueur warmth in your mouth and throat when you drink the coffee, almost like a Baileys or coffee liqueur.

Anaerobic fermentation thus opens up a universe of flavors that cannot be accessed with the three typical processing types.

What is carbonic maceration?

Another experimental processing is what is called carbonic maceration. It is a processing where oxygen is replaced with CO2, thus again manipulating which bacterial cultures are present and what will develop flavor during fermentation.

Carbonic maceration is typically only something that is experimented with on larger and well-established farms, because it requires extensive and precise work with steel tanks, where CO2 exchange and temperature must be controlled.

Other ways that the bacterial culture is experimented with and manipulated during fermentation include:

• Lactic acid bacteria
• Fruit
• Temperature
• Location (high or low)