Unwashed Coffee
This method is easily the oldest and has been used for hundreds of years. Unwashed coffee, also known as the dry process, is the most natural way of extracting the bean. The cherry is washed (just to confuse you!) before being laid out to dry in the sun for up to several weeks. The cherry is turned often to prevent spoilage and covered at night or if it’s raining. This process is complete when the cherry’s moisture content reaches 11%.
Washed Coffee
This new method of preparing the bean is considerably more expensive and, as you may have guessed, a relatively recent development in the way some of our coffee is processed. This method differs in that the coffee cherry is pulped straight after harvesting, which means the outer layers, apart from the mucilage, are removed. What remains is fermented in water for what tends to be several days. Following this, the mucilage is then washed off the bean.
How do these methods affect the taste?
The washed method tends to produce higher quality coffee but this requires skill and water. It results in a coffee that’s generally fruitier, brighter and cleaner. The unwashed method, on the other hand, is known to produce a coffee that’s complex, smooth and has a heavy body. Often, this method is used in countries where long periods of sunshine are rare or rainfall is scarce.
