Beginner’s Guide to Specialty Coffee: How Different Processing Methods Affect Flavor and Taste

Have you ever wondered how coffee flavors are created? Usually, baristas will tell you that coffee flavor is influenced by many factors, including variety, geography, climate, and so on.

,,,,,,.,,,“”?

,,.

Generally speaking, washed-process coffee tends to have a cleaner taste and a more pronounced acidity.

Sun-dried processed coffee tends to have a more pronounced fermented sweetness, and its layered flavors offer a richer mouthfeel.Why is there such a difference? Through research, Qianjie Coffee found that it is actually related to the fermentation substances involved in the coffee.As shared in our previous article on processing methods, the structure of a coffee cherry can be divided into skin, pulp, mucilage, parchment, silver skin, and seed (coffee bean).Different processing methods result in different fermentation substances and processes.

Sun-drying is the process of directly drying freshly picked coffee cherries in the sun until they are dry.With an entrance of strawberry-like acidity and sweetness, a fermented sensation reminiscent of strawberry jam, followed by the aromas of basil and rosemary, and finally a coolness akin to mint tea in the mouth.As shown in the figure below.

,,36,,,.Most of the drying time involves only the coffee beans themselves undergoing fermentation.With fewer fermentation substances, the cleanliness improves, and it also shows a more acidic flavor (light roast).

As shown in the figure below.

?,,,:?~,.Here’s the answer revealed!

Visually, we can also easily distinguish between washed and sun-dried beans. In terms of raw beans, washed beans tend to have a lighter green color, while sun-dried beans appear light yellow.

On roasted beans, washed beans show a "white center line," while sun-dried beans do not.

After roasting green coffee beans into roasted beans, it becomes difficult to determine the processing method. However, you can easily identify it from the coffee grounds. The secret lies in the “white center line.”Washed beans will have a lot of white residue, while sun-dried beans are mostly brown coffee grounds.