Coffee Processing Methods: Find Your Flavor
Find the coffee profile that fits your cup. Processing method plays a big role in flavor, body, and brightness: washed coffees often taste cleaner and more crisp, natural coffees tend to lean fruitier and more syrupy, and honey process coffees can land somewhere in the sweet spot between the two. Explore a mix of coffees below, then dig deeper with our washed vs. natural coffee guide, natural process coffee beans, or washed process coffee beans.
FAQ
Coffee processing refers to how the fruit is removed from the coffee seed after harvest. That step has a big impact on flavor. In general, washed coffees taste cleaner and more defined, natural coffees taste fruitier and fuller-bodied, and honey process coffees often bring a sweeter, more rounded cup.
Washed coffee removes the fruit before drying, which often creates a clean, crisp cup with clear acidity. Natural coffee dries with the fruit still on the seed, which can increase fruit notes, sweetness, and body. Honey process coffee dries with some of the sticky fruit layer left on the seed, often landing between washed and natural with balanced sweetness and texture.
If you like bright, tidy flavors with lots of clarity, start with washed coffees. If you enjoy berry-like sweetness, heavier body, or a more adventurous cup, try natural coffees. If you want something in between, honey process coffees are a great place to start.
If you want help deciding between the two most common styles, start with our washed vs. natural coffee guide. Ready to shop by flavor direction? Head straight to washed process coffee beans for cleaner, crisper cups or natural process coffee beans for fruit-forward, fuller-bodied coffees.