Coffee processing methods, explained
Every Sabio lot carries the method used to turn ripe cherry into green coffee, and that process shapes the cup as much as the variety or the farm does. Here is a quick guide to each one, plus how to read the coloured pills across our catalog.
Colour marks the family: blue for washed, coral for natural, plus green, amber, and brown for specialty lots. A pattern on the pill marks the fermentation twist. Stripes mean a slow or extended ferment, dots a sealed-tank experiment, a fine grid a tea-culture lot.
Washed processes
Ferment and rinse the fruit away before drying. The cleanest, most transparent cups.
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Washed
Washed
Fruit and mucilage are stripped off before the bean is dried, so only the seed dries down.
Tastes like Clean and bright, with clear acidity and transparent origin character.
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Anaerobic Washed
Anaerobic Washed
A washed lot fermented in sealed, oxygen-free tanks before it is washed.
Tastes like Washed clarity plus extra intensity and aromatic complexity.
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CM Washed
Carbonic Maceration Washed
Whole cherries rest under CO₂ before they are pulped and washed.
Tastes like Wine-like aromatics and a rounder, more layered cup.
Natural processes
Dry the whole cherry so the fruit sinks into the bean. Sweet, fruit-forward, full-bodied.
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Natural
Natural
The whole cherry dries intact, so the bean takes on the fruit as it dries.
Tastes like Fruit-forward and sweet, with heavy body and gentle acidity.
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Exp Natural
Experimental Natural
Naturals pushed further with sealed-tank or extended ferments, our Sabio Labs playground.
Tastes like Amplified, sometimes unexpected fruit.
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Slow Natural
Slow Natural
A longer, cooler, closely watched dry that builds sweetness slowly.
Tastes like Deeper sweetness and a syrupy body.
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CM Natural
Carbonic Maceration Natural
Whole cherries ferment under CO₂, then dry as a natural.
Tastes like Intense fruit with a savoury, wine-like edge.
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Jamaica Natural
Jamaica Natural
Cherries fermented with a hibiscus (jamaica) tea culture.
Tastes like Tart red fruit and florals you will not find in a standard natural.
Specialty ferments and finishes
Live cultures, honey drying, and barrel resting. The edges of what coffee can taste like.
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Honey
Honey
Some sticky mucilage is left on the bean through drying, sitting between washed and natural.
Tastes like Balanced sweetness, soft acidity, syrupy body.
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Kombucha
Kombucha
Cherries ferment with a live kombucha (SCOBY) culture.
Tastes like Bright, tangy, lightly effervescent notes over a sweet base.
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Barrel Aged
Barrel Aged
Green or dried coffee rests in spirit barrels before export.
Tastes like Oak, vanilla, and a gentle boozy warmth.