Coffee processing is a whole world, an art form, and simultaneously a science. It's our goal to work with coffee producers who embody a parallel ethos of working in tandem with their community, crew, and earth, and to do so in a way that embodies creativity and motivation for their craft. 

There are two main ways to process coffee, with innovation expanding on these methods. We'll start with the two most common methods, as well as an up-and-coming process that we're excited to offer.  

DRY PROCESS/NATURALS

This is the oldest and most efficient way to process coffee. This process is very popular where water resources are limited, or where the demand has created a market for large scales of natural coffee exports.

In the Dry/Natural process, freshly picked cherries are laid out on raised beds to dry in the sun. To prevent spoiling, the coffee is raked throughout the day and covered at night or during rain to keep it dry. This process is complete when the moisture content reaches 11%.

Yemen, Ethiopia and Brazil are known for their natural coffees. Many producers who work with wash stations are now experimenting with the natural process to create new flavor profiles.

What do naturals taste like? They’re fruit forward, sweet, and full bodied. These coffees are harder to roast due to density and delicacy, so they may be offered at a higher price point since there’s so much extra time and care taken from processing to roasting. Our Brazil Samba Signature is a wonderful natural coffee that has a balance of bright, fruity and depthy yet sweet notes. 

WASHED PROCESS / WET PROCESS

In areas around the "bean belt" with easy water access, the washed process is most common. The bean belt is an area across the globe where the climate and elevation is prime for coffee growing.

Freshly picked cherries are passed through a pulping machine where the skin of the cherry is removed. The beans are then separated by weight as they’re washed.

Next, the beans are moved into large water containers where the mucilage can decompose through a fermentation process that lasts 12-48 hours. Afterwards the beans are rinsed and spread on patios or beds to try out before hulling to remove any last debris before shipping off to roast. 

This process creates a well balanced and consistent coffee with complex and often citrus notes. Our Colombia Huila Women's Lot is a delicious washed, single origin coffee with warm and cozy notes.

PULPED NATURAL PROCESS / HONEY

This is also called a “semi-washed” or “honey process” which creates a clean and full bodied coffee while retaining a typically fruit forward taste.

The pulped natural process is like a halfway between the wet and dry processing: The freshly picked cherries go through the pulping process, but the mucilage is retained, and both the seed and mucilage are sun-dried on a raised drying bed or a patio together.

Our Costa Rica Las Lajas coffee is a honey process coffee and has a range of flavor profiles that develop throughout the temperature changes, from one sip to another.