What is Coffee Processing?

Coffee processing is way to separate the coffee cherry’s fruit flesh and skin from the coffee beans. How coffee is processed can have a dramatic effect on the resulting cup of coffee.

At its simplest, there are two methods: dry or wet. Dry is when the picked coffee cherries are dried as is. Once dried (amount of time depends on the location), the flesh is removed to get at the green coffee bean. This method is common in dryer areas like Africa and parts of south America.

 The other method and the one we use at Hog Heaven Coffee is the wet process whereby the coffee fruit flesh is pulped and washed then the beans are dried. This method leads to more bright and acidic flavors in your cup of coffee. Aside from the flavor complexity achieved via this method, we use this method because our region is too wet (over 200" of rain annually) for the dry method. But wer’re not complaining, we believe the wet process is one reason why our 100% Hāmākua coffee is soo flavorful and tasty.

For details on how the wet mill works, see our other blog From Our Farm to Your Cup.