If you’ve ever looked at a bag description and thought, “Fine — but what does washed actually taste like?”, you’re not alone.
Processing is the step between harvesting coffee cherries and shipping green beans. It’s where the fruit gets removed, the coffee is dried, and a lot of the flavour direction gets decided. Not in a mystical, wine-snob way — in a practical, repeatable, “this is why this cup tastes like that” way.
In this post we’ll cover the three most common labels you’ll see — washed, natural, and honey — and translate them into what matters at home: clarity, sweetness, texture, and how forgiving the coffee is in espresso and filter.
Quick note: processing doesn’t replace origin, variety, or roast style. It’s one lever among several. But it’s a useful lever because it often explains why a coffee feels crisp and clean, or jammy and plush.
Processing, in plain English
A coffee cherry is fruit. Inside are the seeds we roast.
Processing is simply how the producer:
- harvests the cherries,
- removes (some or all of) the fruit,
- dries the coffee safely to a stable moisture level.
Because fruit sugars, microbes, and drying time all play a role, the method can nudge flavour towards clean and structured, or fruity and fermented, or somewhere in between.
Let’s break down the three labels.
Washed (aka “fully washed”): clarity and definition
What it is: the fruit is removed soon after picking. The coffee (still in parchment) is washed and dried without the cherry flesh.
What it tends to taste like:
- clearer flavour separation (you can pick out “citrus” vs “stone fruit” more easily)
- brighter, more precise acidity
- cleaner finish
- lighter, more tea-like body (not always, but often)
Why: less fruit contact during drying usually means a cleaner, more defined cup.
Best for:
- Filter when you want a crisp, articulate cup (V60, AeroPress, batch)
- Espresso if you like a brighter shot and you’re happy to dial in carefully
Natural (aka “dry process”): fruit sweetness and heavier texture
What it is: the whole cherry is dried intact, with the bean inside. Once dried, the fruit is hulled off.
What it tends to taste like:
- bigger fruit notes (berry, tropical, sometimes winey)
- more sweetness on the palate
- heavier body / thicker texture
- sometimes a slightly “funky” edge (from fermentation during drying)
Why: drying inside the cherry keeps more fruit character in play, so cups often read sweeter and heavier.
Best for:
- Espresso if you like syrupy shots, or if you want an espresso that still “reads” through milk with fruit sweetness
- Filter if you enjoy jammy, expressive cups
Honey process: the middle ground (sometimes)
What it is: despite the name, there’s no honey added. “Honey” refers to sticky mucilage (the sugary layer) that’s left on the bean during drying.
There’s a spectrum:
- Yellow honey: less mucilage left on
- Red honey: more mucilage
- Black honey: lots of mucilage, longer drying, more risk/reward
What it tends to taste like:
- rounded sweetness
- moderate clarity (more than many naturals, less than many washed)
- a pleasant, glossy mouthfeel
- often a “caramel / ripe fruit” vibe rather than punchy berries
Why: you keep some sugar-rich material during drying, but not the whole cherry. It’s a controlled way of adding sweetness and body while keeping the cup relatively tidy.
Best for:
- Espresso when you want sweetness and body without going full fruit-bomb
- Filter when you want a little softness and comfort, but still clear flavours
How to choose processing for espresso vs filter (a practical cheat sheet)
If you’re deciding between two coffees and the processing is the main obvious difference, here’s a simple way to pick:
For espresso
- Choose washed if you want a shot with definition and sparkle, and you don’t mind doing a proper dial-in.
- Choose honey if you want an easy, sweet espresso with a silky texture.
- Choose natural if you want the fullest body and most fruit-led sweetness (especially good if you drink flat whites or cappuccinos).
For filter
- Choose washed when you want a clean, “this tastes like peach and jasmine” cup.
- Choose honey for a slightly sweeter, softer cup that still feels clean.
- Choose natural when you’re in the mood for a loud, fruity cup with a heavier texture.
If you only want one rule
Washed = clarity. Natural = fruit + body. Honey = sweet + rounded.
One last thing: labels are a clue, not a promise
Two washed coffees can taste nothing alike, because origin, variety, roast style and drying conditions still matter.
Use processing as a quick hint:
- washed tends towards clean structure,
- natural tends towards fruit and heavier texture,
- honey often sits in the middle.
Then let your preference decide.