From Fresh Coffee Cherry to Green Bean – The Process That Shapes Quality, Value, and Flavor
Coffee processing is not just about drying and hulling – it is the art of managing flavor, consistency, and product value.
At VinaCoffee, we flexibly apply four standardized methods tailored to each origin, product objective, and market requirement:
Clean Process – post-processing quality control
Natural Process – preserving natural integrity
Washed Process – optimizing cleanliness and acidity
Honey Process – balancing sweetness and body
1. CLEAN PROCESS
Purpose: Standardize quality – Optimize inspection – Ready for export
Overview: A post-processing method that ensures uniformity, cleanliness, and sensory stability – essential for export and OEM.
Process:
Step 1: Remove impurities: stones, twigs, floaters
Step 2: Size grading: S13–S18
Step 3: Color and magnetic sorting
Step 4: Moisture check: <12.5%, rest in warehouse >7 days
Step 5: Bagging and labeling with traceable QR code
Benefits:
• Uniform beans for consistent roasting
• Easy blending to match factory specs
• Facilitates inspection and export readiness
2. NATURAL PROCESS
Purpose: Preserve natural sweetness – Ideal for dry climates – Create a distinctive aftertaste
Overview: Whole coffee cherries are sun-dried to preserve natural, full-bodied flavor.
Process:
Step 1: Carefully select ripe cherries
Step 2: Sun-dry whole cherries for 18–25 days
Step 3: Regular turning and fermentation control
Step 4: Resting in dried skin ≥7 days
Step 5: Hull dry skin – proceed to clean process
Benefits:
• Thick aftertaste, deep sweetness, ripe fruit aroma
• Water-free – cost-saving
• Suitable for espresso, cold brew, and dark roasts
3. WASHED PROCESS
Purpose: Enhance acidity – Improve cleanliness – Target premium markets
Overview: Depulping, water fermentation, and mucilage removal for bright and refined flavor.
Process:
Step 1: Remove outer skin
Step 2: Ferment in water for 12–48 hours
Step 3: Wash off mucilage
Step 4: Dry to 11.5–12.5% moisture
Step 5: Hull parchment – clean grading
Benefits:
• Clean, bright acidity
• Ideal for light roasts and specialty markets
• High cupping scores – increased commercial value
4. HONEY PROCESS
Purpose: Balance sweetness – aftertaste – cleanliness
Overview: After depulping, the mucilage layer is retained and dried without washing to enhance gentle sweetness.
Process:
Step 1: Remove outer skin – retain mucilage
Step 2: Dry directly on raised beds or in greenhouse
Step 3: Sort by mucilage retention level:
• Yellow Honey: ~15%
• Red Honey: ~50%
• Black Honey: >80%
Step 4: Turn regularly and monitor moisture
Step 5: Resting – hull parchment
Benefits:
• Full body, mellow sweetness, smooth finish
• Notes of honey, caramel, dried apricot
• Unique identity for specialty coffee lines
✅ EACH METHOD – A WORLD OF DISTINCT FLAVORS
Each coffee processing method – from natural, washed, honey to clean – represents a unique approach to unlocking flavor, structure, and identity of post-harvest beans.
This diversity opens endless creative possibilities: same variety, same origin – but with a different process, the outcome can be entirely different.
Modern producers constantly explore and refine techniques to craft products with their own “sensory signature” – non-replicable and non-generic.
Understanding this helps explain why the same coffee name may yield different qualities, flavors, and prices from region to region.
Every coffee bean is the result of a journey – from the farmer’s care to the processing craft and cultural appreciation.
At VinaCoffee, we honor that journey by telling its story through flavor – clear, honest, and full of identity.
