What is the difference between washed and natural process coffee?

Washed (wet) process removes the cherry skin and fruit before drying, producing a clean, bright cup that reflects the bean's origin character. Natural (dry) process dries the coffee with the full cherry intact for 3–6 weeks, producing a heavier body with intense fruit sweetness, berry, and wine-like notes. The processing method is the single biggest variable in flavor outside of the bean's genetics and growing conditions.

What is honey process coffee?

Honey process is a middle ground between washed and natural. The cherry skin is removed but part of the sticky mucilage — the honey — is left on the bean during drying. More mucilage left on means more sweetness and body in the cup. Honey process coffees are often described as having the clarity of washed and the sweetness of natural, without the full intensity of either.

Does coffee processing method affect flavor?

Yes — significantly. Processing method is one of the three primary flavor variables alongside origin altitude and roast level. The same variety of bean from the same farm processed three different ways will produce three distinct flavor profiles. Washed gives clarity and brightness, natural gives body and fruit intensity, honey gives a balanced sweetness between the two.

How Coffee Is Processed and Why It Affects Flavor

Six Methods

Processing is what happens to the coffee cherry between the moment it is picked and the moment the green bean reaches the roaster. The method used determines how much of the fruit's sweetness, fermentation character, and body transfers into the final cup. Six methods are in common use — each produces a distinct flavor outcome.

Washed

Natural

Honey

Pulp Natural

Semi-Wet

Wet Hull

Clarity

Sweetness

Body

Fruit

Clarity

Sweetness

Body

Fruit

Forest ↗

Clarity

Sweetness

Body

Fruit

Honey ↗

Clarity

Sweetness

Body

Fruit

Clarity

Sweetness

Body

Fruit

Clarity

Sweetness

Body

Fruit

The bars above show relative intensity — not absolute scores. Use them to understand the direction each method pushes the cup, not to compare across different coffees.

Method by Method

How Each Process Works

Method 01

Washed

Also: Wet Process

01Cherry skin removed mechanically

02Fermented 18–36 hours in water tanks — mucilage breaks down and falls off

03Washed clean, then dried on raised beds or patios

Flavor impact

Clean, bright, high clarity. Flavors reflect the bean's true origin character with minimal fruit interference. The go-to method for most specialty coffees — especially high-altitude Ethiopian and Central American lots.

Method 02

Natural

Also: Dry Process

01Coffee harvested with full cherry intact — nothing removed

02Spread on raised beds or patios to dry for 3–6 weeks

03Dried cherry hull removed by milling once fully dry

Flavor impact

Heavy body, intense fruit sweetness, berry and wine-like notes. Lower clarity. The fruit dries around the bean for weeks — that sweetness becomes part of the cup. Simple Coffee's Forest is naturally processed.

Forest ↗

Method 03

Honey

Also: Miel Process

01Cherry skin removed mechanically — no water used

02Mucilage (the sticky sugary layer) left fully or partially attached

03Dried on raised beds with mucilage intact — 2–6 weeks depending on honey color

Flavor impact

The middle ground: sweetness of Natural, clarity of Washed. More fruit character and body than Washed but cleaner than Natural. Honey color (Yellow, Red, Black) indicates how much mucilage remained. Simple Coffee's Honey product is honey processed.

Honey ↗

Method 04

Pulp Natural

Also: Semi-Wet

01Cherry skin (pulp) removed mechanically

02Soaked overnight in water tanks

03Dried with mucilage still attached — not fermented long enough to fully break down

Flavor impact

Between Honey and Natural. More body and sweetness than Washed, less intensity than fully Natural. Overnight soak adds mild fermentation character. Common in Brazil and some Latin American specialty lots.

Method 05

Semi-Wet

De-mucilage Process

01Cherry skin removed mechanically

02Mucilage mechanically scrubbed off — rather than fermented off as in Washed

03Dried immediately — minimal fermentation contact time

Flavor impact

Cleaner than Pulp Natural — the mechanical scrubbing removes most of the mucilage without the fermentation step. Results in a cup closer to Washed in clarity but with slightly more body. Common where water is scarce.

Method 06

Wet Hull

Giling Basah — Indonesian

01Cherry skin removed and coffee partially dried — to ~35–50% moisture

02Parchment (inner husk) removed while still high in moisture — the defining step

03Naked green bean dried to final moisture under Indonesian humidity

Flavor impact

Low acidity, heavy earthy body, herbal and cedar notes — the signature Indonesian profile. Wet hulling produces the distinctly earthy, full-bodied character associated with Sumatran and Javanese coffees. The early parchment removal exposes the bean to humidity and micro-organisms that create these flavors.

Comparison

Flavor Outcomes Side by Side

Processing method is one of the three largest variables in a coffee's final flavor — alongside variety and roast level. The table below maps each method to its expected flavor direction.

Method	Acidity	Body	Sweetness	Best for
Washed	High	Light	Low	Origin clarity, terroir expression
Natural	Low	Heavy	Very high	Fruit intensity, berry, wine character
Honey	Medium	Medium	High	Balanced sweetness, fruit + clarity
Pulp Natural	Med-low	Med-high	Medium	Chocolate, nut, caramel — Brazilian style
Semi-Wet	Med-high	Medium	Med-low	Cleaner than PN, more body than Washed
Wet Hull	Very low	Very heavy	Low	Earthy, herbal, full body — Indonesian profile

Simple Coffee + Processing

Why Processing Method Is on Our Label

Most roasters do not put the processing method on the bag. Simple Coffee does — because it is one of the three most important pieces of information about what you are about to taste. Origin tells you where the plant grew. Roast level tells you how far the roaster took it. Processing tells you what happened to the fruit between harvest and green bean, which determines how much sweetness, body, and fermentation character made it into the cup.

Our Forest product is naturally processed — whole cherry dried for weeks, which is why it carries the intense fruit and body character it does. Our Honey product is honey processed — skin-off, mucilage-on, dried slowly — which is why it sits in the sweet and balanced middle ground between washed clarity and natural intensity.

Processing is not a secondary detail. It is a primary flavor decision — made at the farm, before the roaster ever touches the coffee. Knowing the method tells you what to expect in the cup before you open the bag.

Browse Our Coffees Forest — Natural

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