Washed vs Natural Processing Methods Explored. Coffee with its distinctive flavor and stimulating ability has become an indispensable part of our daily lives. However, to create this unique flavor, the coffee processing plays an important role. In this article, we will explore two popular coffee processing methods: natural processing and wash processing.
I. Washed Processing:
Wash Processing, also known as processing by the wet method, is a meticulous and careful process. This process involves soaking coffee beans in water to remove the husk and membrane surrounding the beans. Then, the coffee beans will be dried. This method helps create a soft, delicate, and complex coffee flavor.
In the Washed Processing method to achieve high efficiency, advanced machinery technology from Europe is often used. Therefore, washed processing method has higher costs due to the need for more investment, but the quality of coffee is guaranteed.
1. Harvest ripe coffee.
2. Remove impurities such as branches, leaves, soil, stones, and other foreign objects, dried fruits, green fruits, and unripe fruits from the mass of ripe fruits. This step is carried out immediately after the ripe coffee is brought into the factory to ensure the best quality of coffee and facilitate the washing process.
3. The ripe coffee cherries will be cleaned and rid of impurities in coffee washing machines with enough water pressure to remove soil, rocks, dirt, branches, and non-coffee plants in the subsequent stages. Then the cleaned coffee cherries will be rubbed to separate the husk, mucilage, and parchment.
4. The bright coffee beans enter the fermentation stage to completely remove the stubborn oily substances clinging with active enzymes. After this stage, the coffee beans are washed clean once more.
5. Upon entering the drying stage, the coffee beans are carefully placed into the drying machine at the appropriate temperature and quickly to minimize losses in quantity and quality. Then, the coffee is put into a sorting machine to separate out large-sized beans, small-sized beans, culi beans, broken beans, and defective beans to ensure consistent output quality and pure flavor without mixing.
6. Store by storing dried coffee beans in bags placed high above the ground to create ventilation.
Washed vs Natural Processing Methods Explored
II. Natural Processing:
Contrary to Washed Processing, Natural Processing, also known as processing by the dry method or “natural method”, requires fewer steps. In this process, coffee beans will be dried directly under the sunlight. This method produces a strong, rich, and fruity coffee flavor.
The method of Natural Processing coffee includes 7 main steps, usually taking 1-2 weeks to produce high-quality coffee.
1. Harvest ripe coffee.
2. Remove impurities such as branches, leaves, soil, stones, and other foreign objects, dry fruits, green fruits, and unripe fruits from the ripe fruit block.
3. Use a fresh fruit grinder to peel the fruit.
4. Pour the ground coffee into a cement tank, basket, or plastic basin, depending on the amount of coffee, then cover it with a bag to ferment for about 3 days.
5. Thoroughly wash the fermented coffee with clean water.
6. After washed, let the wet coffee beans drain and transfer to the drying yard or machine.
7. Store by keeping the dried coffee beans in a bag placed high above the ground to allow for ventilation.
About 80% of coffee in Vietnam is processed using this method, however, most -processed coffee beans are sun-dried for many days, due to the weather, the nutrients in the coffee beans are somewhat depleted, changing the pure taste of coffee. In addition, sun-drying also causes coffee to be contaminated with more impurities, or dirt, so the economic value of coffee processed by the natural method is often not high. Washed vs Natural Processing Methods Explored
Both processing methods have their own advantages and disadvantages, and they create different coffee flavors. However, there is no method better than the other – everything depends on your personal taste. 1300’s Coffee: Washed vs Natural Processing Methods Explored
