Explore Brazil: August 2023 Processing Edition

This month we explore Brazil through post-harvest processing. After the coffee fruit is harvested, the bean—actually a seed—must be removed from the fruit and dried. How this is done varies and can greatly impact the flavor and quality of the roasted coffee. Our friends at Fazenda Recanto took a single lot of Yellow Catuai and processed it in three different ways, demonstrating the impact post-harvest processing can have on the final cup.

Natural Process

The coffee bean is dried with the fruit still intact. This results in longer drying times and fermentation that can create volatiles like aldehydes and esters. These make their way into the bean, imparting complex fruity flavors to the coffee.

Pulped Natural Process

The coffee is pulped leaving the sticky mucilage attached to the coffee parchment during drying. The preservation of some sugars can lend more body and fruity flavors to the coffee, though they are generally less intense than naturals.

Fully-Washed Process

The coffee undergoes a rapid, controlled fermentation followed by a thorough washing to remove all of the mucilage from the parchment before drying. These coffees tend to be lighter and milder with cleaner, but less complex flavors.