Washed
The fruit is removed, then the seed is fermented and dried. The cup is usually cleaner and brighter. Acidity is easier to taste.
10 countries
The world’s coffee does not taste like one thing.
Read the region, the altitude, and how the fruit was dried. Then taste two bags brewed the same way. That is the shortest education there is.
The four processes you will see on a bag
Natural
The whole cherry is dried before the fruit comes off. Sugars from the fruit stay close to the seed. You often get berry, tonic, or a heavier body. A poor dry tastes fermented in the bad sense.
Honey
The skin comes off and some sticky mucilage stays on for drying. It sits between washed and natural: sweeter than a wash, cleaner than a full natural.
Wet-hulled
Common in Sumatra. Parchment is stripped early, while the bean is damp. Body goes up, acidity goes down, and the cup turns earthy.
Brazil
Chocolate · Nuts · Caramel
Brazil grows more coffee than any other country, across very different climates. Naturals from Cerrado and Minas Gerais are often sweet and nutty, which is why they turn up in espresso blends. A washed Brazilian lot can taste cleaner and less heavy. The country is not one flavour.
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Colombia
Citrus · Caramel · Red fruit
The Andes give Colombia height, volcanic soil, and a lot of small farms. Huila, Nariño, and Tolima do not taste the same. Higher, cooler lots are often brighter. A darker roast will cover that fruit with cocoa and sugar. Read the region and the roast on the bag, not just the country.
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Costa Rica
Honey · Peach · Milk chocolate
Costa Rica is known for honey processing. “Honey” is the fruit mucilage left on the seed while it dries. More mucilage usually means more sweetness and body. It is not honey added later. Tarrazú is one famous area, not the whole country.
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Ethiopia
Blueberry · Jasmine · Bergamot
Ethiopia is where coffee comes from, and it still grows both wild and farmed trees. A natural from Yirgacheffe can taste of blueberry and jasmine. A washed lot from the next valley can taste of tea and lemon. Process decides as much as the place name.
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Guatemala
Dark chocolate · Brown sugar · Apple
Antigua’s valley is shaped by volcanoes and tends toward chocolate and body. Huehuetenango, higher and drier, is often brighter and more floral. Both are Guatemala. The region on the bag matters more than the country alone.
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Indonesia
Cedar · Dark fruit · Earthy
Most Sumatra you meet is wet-hulled: the parchment comes off while the bean is still wet. That makes a heavy, low-acid cup with cedar, dark fruit, and an earthy finish. It is a different drink from a washed Kenya or a natural Ethiopia.
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Kenya
Blackcurrant · Tomato · Bright
Kenyan auction lots are often washed and fermented more than once. SL28 and SL34 are common varieties. The result can be intensely blackcurrant, with a savoury note people call tomato. AA on a bag is a large bean size, not a score.
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Peru
Almond · Apricot · Toffee
A lot of Peru’s speciality coffee is washed and grown by co-operatives at altitude. The cups are often gentle: nut, stone fruit, toffee. It is an easy place to start if you want something sweet without a loud ferment.
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Vietnam
Dark roast · Robusta · Chocolate
Vietnam grows a great deal of robusta, especially in the Central Highlands. Robusta is a different species from arabica: more caffeine, more body, less of the floral high notes. It is the coffee behind a traditional phin and condensed milk. It is not a failed arabica.
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Yemen
Tonic · Dried fruit · Spice
Yemen is one of the old homes of the coffee trade, through the port of Mocha. Lots are small, dried in the fruit, and expensive. Expect dried fruit, tonic, and spice. Do not expect it to taste like a modern washed Colombia.
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