When Mara cups a new lot on Wednesday mornings, one of the first things she notes is the processing method. Washed, natural, honey: these are not just labels on a bag. They describe what happened to the coffee cherry after it was picked, and they have a direct effect on what ends up in your cup.

What washed processing actually means

In washed (or wet) processing, the fruit of the coffee cherry is removed before the bean is dried. The beans are pulped, fermented in water tanks to break down the remaining mucilage, then washed clean and laid out to dry on raised beds. Because the fruit is removed early, the flavour in the cup comes almost entirely from the bean itself and from the fermentation stage. The result tends to be cleaner, brighter, and more acidic than other processing methods.

Why natural-process coffees taste different

In natural processing, the whole cherry is dried with the fruit still on. This takes longer and requires careful management to avoid fermentation going wrong. The fruit sugars and pulp interact with the bean over weeks of drying, which is why natural-process coffees often taste fruity, winey, or jammy. Our house espresso blend uses a natural-process Brazil from Fazenda Santa Ines, which contributes the dried cherry and dark chocolate notes you get in the cup.

What this means for filter brewing at home

If you are brewing at home and you want a clean, bright cup that shows off floral or citrus notes, start with a washed coffee. Our Colombia Huila on the filter bar is a good example: washed at 1,800 metres, it brews cleanly on a Kalita Wave with notes of red apple and a long floral finish. If you want something richer and more fruit-forward, try a natural-process lot. The key variable is grind size: washed coffees tend to be a little more forgiving on grind than naturals.

A note on honey processing

Honey processing sits between the two. Some of the mucilage is left on the bean during drying, which gives a sweetness and body that is somewhere between washed and natural. We do not always have a honey-process coffee on the bar, but when we do it tends to be a crowd-pleaser for people who find washed coffees too sharp and natural coffees too intense.

If you want to taste the difference side by side, come in on a Wednesday or Thursday when Mara is usually cupping. She is happy to walk you through what is on the bar and why.