A standardized processing procedure combined with a special formula will give you a delicious and premium cup of coffee. Among these steps, coffee processing is a crucial stage that directly affects the quality and flavor of the coffee that consumers enjoy. Through the article below, Hello 5 Coffee Global will help you gain a deeper understanding of the most common green coffee bean processing methods.
1. Dry processing (Natural processing)
Dry processing, also known as Natural processing, involves drying freshly harvested coffee cherries directly under the sun. This method is believed to produce the most distinctive and bold coffee flavors, with a fresh, natural aroma, a unique sweetness, and benefits for the consumer.
Although this method is easy and requires less effort, it takes a very long time for the beans to dry, which can lead to mold developing inside the beans. Unstable weather conditions, such as rain or insufficient sunlight, can reduce bean quality. Therefore, for premium coffee lines, producers often avoid this risky method.
However, when performed correctly and ensuring factors like a high ratio of ripe cherries, proper drying time and temperature, and avoiding mold, the resulting coffee flavor can be excellent and even superior to other methods.
2. Wet processing
Wet processing of green coffee beans requires more effort, but in return, the value of the final product is significantly higher. Therefore, premium coffee producers often prefer this method to ensure high-quality beans.
For wet processing, the standard procedure includes:
- Harvesting: Coffee cherries are picked when fully ripe, and unripe cherries are removed.
- Pulping: The cherries are pulped to extract the beans.
- Mucilage removal: Beans are soaked in water to remove the outer mucilage layer.
- Fermentation: Beans are fermented in water to eliminate any remaining mucilage.
- Washing: Beans are washed thoroughly after fermentation to remove residual mucilage.
- Drying: Beans are dried under sunlight until they reach the desired moisture content.
- Hulling: The parchment layer is removed to obtain the finished green coffee beans.
The advantage of wet processing is that it completely removes the mucilage layer, highlighting the most distinctive characteristics of the coffee variety. However, producing high-quality, aromatic beans requires farmers to have solid knowledge and technical skills. Beans should not be dried directly on bare ground as they will absorb moisture, and they must be spread evenly to dry uniformly. The process should stop once biting a bean does not cause it to crack.
Arabica beans have lower acidity than Robusta, making wet processing suitable for this variety. Fermentation removes residual mucilage, resulting in Arabica beans that are pure, uniform, clean, and aromatic.
In contrast, Robusta beans have higher acidity. Wet-processed Robusta beans can develop a sharp sourness, which may not appeal to many consumers. Therefore, most Robusta coffee is processed using the dry method.
3. Honey processing
Honey processing is a hybrid method combining wet and dry processing. After harvesting, coffee cherries are washed to remove impurities. In this method, the mucilage layer is partially retained before drying, giving the beans a dark brown color resembling honey, which is how the method gets its name.
Honey processing allows beans to dry faster than natural processing, reducing the required drying area and labor. Coffee processed in this way retains more natural sweetness and enhances flavor during consumption.
However, if unfavorable weather occurs during processing, additional drying machines and hulling equipment are necessary. During drying, farmers must ensure beans do not stick together, which would lead to uneven drying and lower quality.
Read more: What makes Vietnamese coffee so special
The above are the most basic and common green coffee bean processing methods today. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages and produces coffee with distinctive flavors. On the market, there are still many other processing methods and variations used to adapt to different demands. Hello 5 Coffee Global continuously researches, adopts, and innovates to provide unique formulas and produce premium products with distinctive identities, offering the best experience for customers.
All coffee beans at Hello 5 Coffee are processed either by wet or honey methods. These advanced processing techniques can only be performed in large-scale factories, producing firm coffee beans that retain the maximum essence of the bean, resulting in an exceptionally rich flavor after roasting. This quality can only be truly appreciated when brewing and tasting the coffee—it cannot be distinguished by external observation. This explains why coffee of the same type can have such widely differing prices.
If you want to buy Vietnamese coffee in bulk with stable quality for your store, as a gift, or simply to enjoy,… Hello 5 Coffee will be the top choice. Contact us today to receive attractive offers.
