Most people drink coffee without thinking twice about what happened to the bean before it met hot water. Fair enough — mornings are hard enough. But if you’ve ever wondered why one coffee tastes bright and sharp while another tastes sweet and easy-going, the answer usually comes down to one thing:
How the coffee was processed.
“Process” is just the method used to remove the coffee cherry from the seed inside — the bit we roast. Different methods create different flavours, and understanding them gives you a clearer idea of what you’re tasting and why it tastes that way.
So here’s the quick run-through.
The Main Coffee Processing Method
1. Washed (The Clean and Controlled Approach)
The cherry is pulped, the sticky layer is fermented off, the beans are washed, and then they’re dried.
What it tastes like:
Clean, bright, sharpened flavours. Think clarity over chaos.
2. Natural (The Fruit-Dried Method)
The whole cherry is dried in the sun with the seed still inside. Once the fruit dries and shrivels, the seed is removed.
What it tastes like:
Sweet, fruity, fuller in body — a bit more “character” without trying too hard.
3. Honey (somewhere between washed and natural)
The skin is removed, but the sticky fruit layer stays on during drying. No relation to actual honey; don’t ask why they named it this — nobody knows.
What it tastes like:
Sweetness from the fruit, but cleaner than a full natural. A middle-ground option.
4. Anaerobic / Experimental (the modern science-fiction stuff)
Coffee is fermented in sealed tanks without oxygen. Sometimes this includes added yeast, specific strains of bacteria, or processing stages that sound like they require lab coats.
What it tastes like:
Extremely varied — from funky to wine-like to oddly vivid. Fascinating, but not always what you want at 8 a.m.
What We Use at Fossil Coffee Co. (For Now)
While there are countless experimental methods out there, we’ve kept things grounded for our launch line-up.
Right now, Fossil Coffee Co. focuses on coffees that are either:
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Natural
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Washed
Why? Because they offer the clearest, most reliable expressions of flavour — and they suit both our roasting style and the taste experience we want you to have.
Why This Actually Matters
You don’t need to memorise processing methods, but knowing the basics helps you pick a coffee that matches your taste.
If you want something crisp and bright → Washed
If you want something sweeter and rounder → Natural
Let me know what you like and why!
Cheers,
Will
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