Washed and Unwashed Coffee: Key Differences between Them

Generally, people make the mistake of seeing the coffee as a bean. It is originally a fruit that goes through different processes.

There’s something different about drinking coffee not everyone notices at first. Such delicate beans require very specific measures to ensure a cup of coffee that exceeds expectations, and if that’s not enough, there are details like the type of roast and blends. Yes, when it is about this bean, there’s more than meets the eye.

Perhaps you know this already, but when it’s about making coffee, there’s a wide array of factors that can alter the results of your brew. Each factor results in its own distinctive coffee. Today, we’ll break down washed and unwashed coffee: two methods you’ll definitely want to know about, as they have their own characteristics and differences.

Washed coffee

This is usually referred as the wet process. The coffee fruit is removed from its pulp by the pulper, leaving the bean with its mucilage for the fermentation. This fermentation takes one or two days, sometimes longer depending on the results you want to get (more time, more fermentation). Finally, the mucilage is washed away, leaving the essential flavors inside the bean.

Because of the complexity and the skill required, the results are often expensive batches of coffee, which is why they’re considered the finest products in the market.

Unwashed coffee

Perhaps the oldest and most classic method for coffee processing, this is the dry process. Unwashed coffee cherries are first washed, and then they’re put in the sun to dry. After the cherries are ready, the green beans are removed from the dried cherry, which ends the process.

Compared to the washed process, this process doesn’t require that much expertise and skill, but it still has it challenge. Removing the bean of the cherry is somehow risky, and there’s less control of the process. Overall, this is the most used method, and it ensures good, worthwhile coffee.

Which method is better, then?

Each process has its own benefits, pros, and cons; so choosing one over the other wouldn’t be a fair election. Washed, for example, takes hours to get consistent results, whereas unwashed can take several weeks. Regarding costs, unwashed is a lot cheaper, but it poses a higher risk as cherries can rot.

In terms of taste, washed is the choice of demanding drinkers of coffee, as it has a clearer flavor. Unwashed, on the other hand, results in more intense, heavier flavors. In the end, both have their distinctive features that are entirely up to your preferences.

As you can see, coffee is able to suit and mold to each customer because of the many different ways to source, process, and brew it. The team of That Coffee Roasters is aware of the importance of variety, which translates into the products they can offer. Access their website and see the many coffee products they have in store waiting for you!

Both methods go through a different process that results in the coffee bean itself.

---

That Coffee Roasters

Phone Number: (305) 821-8811

2697 W. 76 Street, Hialeah, Florida 33016

Facebook: That Coffee Roasters

Instagram: thatcoffeeroasters