Processing
The coffee bean begins its life inside a bright red cherry (occasionally yellow) and the way in which the bean is extracted from the cherry influences the flavour of the coffee. Once extracted the bean is green and only takes on its brown appearance after roasting. The two main processes are wet or washed coffee, or natural or dry processed coffee.
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Washed Process
Washed coffee passes the beans through a machine that strips off the outer cherry skin and the resultant sticky beans are sat in water to clean the "mucilage" from them. The resultant flavour is a clean, citrus coffee.
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Natural Process
The Natural, or dry process coffee, bakes the cherries in the sun until dry and brittle. The beans can then be cracked out of the brittle cherry like separating the wheat from the chaff. The resultant flavour is more sweet and rich bodied.
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Of course, quality coffee can come at a price, however you don’t always need to break the bank to get a decent cuppa. It’s worth exploring different ranges and finding one that’s right for you.