Your online store for coffees roasted in Switzerland, inspired by the preparation methods of baristas.
Two batches of cherries harvested from the same tree, on the same day, can produce radically different coffees depending on what happens in the hours following the picking.
This post-harvest treatment (washed, natural, or honey) is already present in the bean before the roaster intervenes. What you read on the label isn't a detail of origin. It's the signature of a biochemical transformation that reconfigured the aromas long before roasting.
To understand what distinguishes the three processes, one must first visualize the coffee cherry. Beneath the red skin lies the pulp, then the mucilage, a viscous substance rich in sugars, acids, and proteins. Next comes the parchment, and finally the green bean. The entire challenge of post-harvest processing hinges on a simple question: how many of these layers remain in contact with the bean during drying?
Washed coffee This is the most interventionist method. The cherry is mechanically pulped, then the berry ferments in vats for 12 to 48 hours to eliminate the mucilage. After a thorough washing with water, it dries naked. The result: a clear profile, crisp acidity, and notes of citrus, floral, or apple. The berry reveals its terroir unfiltered, as nothing comes between it and the air during drying.
Natural coffee The process is reversed. The whole cherry dries in the sun for two to four weeks, its pulp and mucilage intact. This long fermentation in contact with the fruit's flesh imparts intense notes of berries, tropical fruits, and sometimes chocolate. The wine has a full body, and its complexity can be unsettling for those unfamiliar with it.
At 9|38, our Ethiopia Organic The most direct example is that the baristas at the Coffee Academy immediately recognize those berry notes that only long fermentation produces.
The honey processThis method occupies a space between the two. The skin is removed, but the mucilage remains, in whole or in part, on the grain during drying. This process, popularized in Costa Rica in the 2000s, has since spread throughout Central America.
The spectrum is broad: white honey (more than 90% of the mucilage removed) is closer to washed, while black honey (no mucilage removed) is closer to natural. And no, the name doesn't come from honey, but from the sticky, amber appearance of the mucilage during drying.
These choices are not arbitrary. In Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, the natural method prevails because of the intense sunshine and scarce water. In Guatemala, the high humidity makes natural drying risky (mold), hence the historical excellence of washed coffee. Geography often dictates the process even before the producer makes a choice.
Regardless of the method, a biochemical reaction is at work. During fermentation, yeasts produce volatile compounds that become aroma precursors. At the same time, microorganisms break down pectins, cellulose, and starch, converting them into alcohols, acids, ketones, and esters. It is this chemical cascade that ends up in your cup.
The duration of contact between the mucilage and the bean is the key variable. The longer the contact, the deeper the transformation. A natural coffee, whose bean soaks in the pulp for weeks, develops intense "fermented" notes. A washed coffee, whose mucilage is removed in a few hours, retains a cleaner profile. Honey coffee, with its 24 to 72 hours of partial contact, falls somewhere in between.
What the palate perceives corresponds directly to this chemistry. Esters provide the fruity and floral notes. Organic acids produce the perceptible acidity. The mechanism is the same as for wine or cocoa: fermentation is the universal aromatic engine of processed agricultural products. And whatever path they take, all the grains converge toward the same goal: reaching 10 to 12% moisture before dehulling.
Do you love clarity and vibrant acidity? Washed coffee is for you. It's the most transparent: terroir, variety, and altitude are expressed directly, without the fruity haze of long fermentation. Ideal for filter coffee to explore the nuances of an origin.
Do you prefer intense fruitiness and a full body? Then opt for a natural coffee. The long fermentation with pulp leaves deep imprints of berries and tropical fruits. It's a coffee with character, sometimes divisive, but one that leaves no one indifferent.
Are you looking for balance? The honey process offers a whole spectrum of possibilities:
To create an assortment that blends the three methods, as permitted by the...customized subscription, remains the most direct way to experience it.
Since 2015, a new generation of processes has been pushing the boundaries. In Costa Rica, particularly in the Tarrazu and West Valley regions, producers ferment coffee in airtight tanks, without oxygen, for 24 to 120 hours. The resulting profiles are of unprecedented precision and reproducibility.
Co-fermentation, which emerged around 2020 in Colombia, goes even further: fruits, yeasts, or spices are added to the vats to create aromas that go beyond coffee alone. These methods are dividing the industry. In 2024, the Best of Panama competition... excludes brewed coffees to "protect authenticity," while the World Barista Championship has accepted them since 2023. The debate is open, and it redefines what the word specialty coffee means for professionals.
Post-harvest processing is the most decisive factor in determining the final taste, even more so than roasting or preparation. Fermentation is the biochemical driving force: its duration and contact with the mucilage explain most of the differences between a crystalline washed coffee, an exuberant natural coffee, and a balanced honey coffee.
Now that you know how to read these statements on the label, all that remains is to taste the difference. Explore the Café 9|38 selection to compose your own journey between the methods and find the one that speaks to your palate.
Your online store for coffees roasted in Switzerland, inspired by the preparation methods of baristas.
With more than 50 years of experience in the coffee sector in Switzerland, Café 9|38 has accumulated valuable know-how that we are delighted to share with you to enrich your knowledge of coffee.
