Guide to Coffee Processing

Published on

25 Sep, 2025

You may have seen words like ‘pulped natural’ or ‘washed process’ on a bag of coffee beans and not been sure what they mean. These terms describe the way the coffee was processed after it was picked in cherry form from the tree.

Coffee processing is the work of transforming coffee from a cherry growing on a tree to green beans ready to roast. Here’s a quick guide to the most common coffee processing methods you’ll see mentioned on a bag of Market Lane beans.

A coffee bean is the seed of a sweet red fruit that grows on a coffee tree. These fruits are commonly called coffee cherries. There are various processing methods used to remove the fruit from around the bean and dry it.

What is a processing method?

The processing method is all the steps that are taken to remove the fruit from around the bean and then dry the bean. The way that coffees get processed can vary greatly, depending on the country and region of production. Traditionally, the method used is determined by factors like the producer’s access to water, the amount of space available to them, and the weather and climate conditions in their area.

What are the most common processing methods?

The following are the most common processing methods used by producers we work with at Market Lane. It’s worth noting that the names of these processing methods are not internationally uniform, so these terms may sometimes mean different things to different producers or roasters.

Washed

This is the most common processing method used for our coffees. The coffee cherry is picked from the tree, then the skin and some of the fruit is removed from the bean – a step known as ‘pulping’. To fully remove the remaining sticky fruit (often called ‘mucilage’), the pulped coffee is put into a tank for a number of days – sometimes in water and sometimes without – so that the mucilage on the outside of the bean ferments and can then be removed by washing the coffee in water. Once washed, the beans are laid flat to dry, usually on a raised bed or patio.

What to expect:
Washed coffees are known for their transparency and clarity of flavour, and the sense of place they convey. They tend to have a lighter body than coffees processed in other ways, and a refined sweetness.

Washed coffees we love:
Most of the coffees we purchase at Market Lane are washed processed. We love how this method highlights the more nuanced characteristics in the coffee and allows intrinsic flavour notes associated with the terroir to shine through in the cup. All the Rwandan and Kenyan coffees we offer are washed processed, and most of the lots from Guatemala and Colombia are as well.

Pulped Natural/Honey

The coffee cherry is picked, and the skin is removed, but some or all of the sticky fruit (mucilage) is left on the bean. The bean is then dried on a raised bed or patio.

The pulped natural/honey processing method is used in many places in Central and South America; it is particularly common in Brazil. It is called different things in different places – in Guetemala, ‘honey process’, as opposed to ‘pulped natural’ in Brazil.

What to expect:
Pulped natural/honey processing often produces coffees with a developed sweetness and a fuller and creamier mouthfeel.

Pulped Natural coffees we love:
Most of the Brazilian coffees we offer at Market Lane are pulped naturals. We also source some beautiful honey processed microlots from Guatemala, Colombia and Bolivia.

Natural

The coffee cherry is picked from the tree and then laid out to dry on raised beds or patios with the entire fruit intact. Once dry, the dried fruit (now a shrivelled husk) is removed from the bean.

This method is one of the oldest methods for processing coffee and has been practiced for centuries in Ethiopia. It is common in areas with little rainfall, or lack of access to a pulping machine.

What to expect:
Natural coffees are typically very fruit forward, with an intense sweetness, winey acidity and full mouthfeel. Often the fruit flavours are expressed as stewed or jam-like.

Natural coffees we love:
At Market Lane, we seek out natural processed coffees that are clean and balanced and still retain their taste of place. Some of our favourites are sourced from Ethiopia (where generations of producers have processed coffees using this method for decades), as well as Bolivia and Guatemala.

Which coffee should I choose?

Many coffee processing methods are traditional to a region, and local producers follow time-honoured steps every season. Other methods are experimental and seek to push the boundaries of what coffee can be. Whatever the method, Market Lane strives to select the most delicious coffees that still retain their taste of place, and carefully roasts each one to express the coffee’s full potential. Look out for flavour notes that sound appealing to you – and start exploring!