Origin and roast get most of the attention. But one of the biggest influences on flavour happens before the coffee ever leaves the farm. It's called processing.

A coffee bean is the seed of a cherry. Processing is how the farmer removes the fruit and dries the seed. Each method leaves a different fingerprint in your cup.

Washed: clean and clear

The fruit is stripped off straight after picking. The beans are fermented briefly in water, washed, then dried. With the fruit gone early, what's left is the flavour of the bean itself.

Expect: clean, bright, balanced. Think crisp acidity, caramel and chocolate.

Try it: Kenya Rung'eto Kiangoi AA, with caramel and a bright, clean bite. Or Colombia Excelso, smooth and chocolatey.

Natural: fruit-forward and wild

The whole cherry is laid out to dry in the sun, fruit and all, often for weeks. The bean soaks up sugar and fruit flavour from the cherry around it. It's the oldest method there is, and Ethiopia does it beautifully.

Expect: jammy, sweet, heavy body, big fruit.

Try it: Ethiopia Guji Hambella. Strawberry, tropical fruit and florals. If you've only ever had supermarket coffee, this one will surprise you.

Honey: somewhere in between

The skin comes off, but some of the sticky fruit (the "mucilage") is left on while the bean dries. Nothing to do with bees. It's named for the sticky, honey-like coating.

Expect: the sweetness of a natural with more of the clarity of a washed coffee.

Anaerobic: the experimental edge

The cherries ferment in sealed tanks with no oxygen. Producers control time and temperature closely, a bit like a winemaker. The results can be extraordinary.

Expect: intense, layered, unusual. Flavours you didn't know coffee could have.

Try it: our Pink Borbon Creation Innovation Microlot from the Forest Collective in Acevedo, Huila. A semi-washed anaerobic coffee with floral, green apple and tangerine notes. Small lots, so when it's gone, it's gone.

What about decaf?

Decaf has its own process on top. Our Mexico Mountain Water Decaf is decaffeinated using only water, no chemical solvents. Smooth, winey and citrusy, with none of the flatness decaf used to be known for.

Which should you choose?

Like chocolate, nuts and a clean finish? Start with a washed coffee.
Like fruit and sweetness? Go natural.
Want to try something new? Try an anaerobic microlot.

Every coffee on our labels lists its origin, process and tasting notes, so you can see the difference for yourself. All roasted in small batches at Hursley Park, Hampshire. Shop the range.