Buy washed if you want a coffee you can make every morning, with or without milk. Buy natural if you drink it black and want fruit in the cup. In our lineup that means No. 1 Common Sense (fully washed) for the daily pot and No. 2 Good Sense (natural) for the slow first cup.
What is the difference between washed and natural coffee?
It comes down to what happens to the coffee fruit after picking. In a washed coffee, the fruit is taken off the bean before the bean is dried. In a natural coffee, the bean is dried inside the whole fruit and the fruit is removed afterward. That is common public knowledge, and it is why the two styles tend to taste different: washed coffees read cleaner and more defined, natural coffees read fruitier and heavier.
Our labels are specific. No. 1 Common Sense is fully washed and solar dried. No. 2 Good Sense is natural, hand sorted and dried on raised beds. No. 3 Position is wet-hulled (giling basah), a third route that we keep separate. Our roaster, Temecula Coffee Roasters in Temecula, California, prints all of this on the bag.
How do our washed, natural and wet-hulled bags compare?
| No. 1 Common Sense | No. 2 Good Sense | No. 3 Position | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | Huila and Medellin-Antioquia, Colombia | Sidama, Ethiopia | Aceh, Takengon, Indonesia |
| Process | Fully washed, solar dried | Natural, hand sorted, dried on raised beds | Wet-hulled (giling basah) |
| Altitude | 1,300 to 1,500 m | 1,700 to 1,900 m | 1,100 to 1,600 m |
| Label notes | Cocoa, red apple, brown sugar | Milk chocolate, fruit, caramel | Dark chocolate, dried fruit, earthy |
| Roast | Medium | Medium-light | Not declared |
| Best for | Every morning, takes milk | The slow first cup, black | Espresso, moka, milk drinks |
| Price | $28, 12 oz | $28, 12 oz | $28, 12 oz |
All three are the same price, so you can pick by taste alone.
When does washed win?
Washed wins when the coffee has to work every day. It takes drip, French press and milk without falling apart, and the cup stays easy to repeat. Our Colombia is the one we point people to when they want a single bag for the whole household.
Our pick
No. 1 Common Sense
Huila and Medellin-Antioquia, Colombia · 1,300 to 1,500 m · Fully washed, solar dried · Castillo, Caturra, Colombia, Typica · Medium
Cocoa, red apple and brown sugar on the label, for the cup you make every morning without thinking about it.
If you like the washed style but want something brighter, No. 9 Optimism is also fully washed. Read what No. 9 Optimism tastes like for the cup notes.
When does natural win?
Natural wins when you want to taste something. Drink it black. Our label advice for Good Sense is pour-over at 94 °C (201 °F) with a 40-second bloom, and to skip the milk, because a natural Ethiopia goes to fruit and milk buries it.
Our pick
No. 2 Good Sense
Sidama, Ethiopia · 1,700 to 1,900 m · Natural, hand sorted, dried on raised beds · Indigenous heirloom cultivars · Medium-light
Milk chocolate, fruit and caramel on the label, for the slow first cup when you want to taste something.
Where does wet-hulled fit?
Wet-hulled is the odd one out. Our Position is built for espresso, moka and anything you are going to put milk in, and the label says it holds its shape under milk and under ice. If you are weighing it against the other two, read what No. 3 Position tastes like first.
Our pick
No. 3 Position
Aceh, Takengon, Indonesia · 1,100 to 1,600 m · Wet-hulled (giling basah) · Tim Tim, Typica, Ateng, Onan Ganjang, Jember
Dark chocolate, dried fruit and earthy on the label, and the label line is espresso at 1:2 in 28 seconds.
What else changes the cup?
Process is one lever. Grind and filter matter too, so see paper vs metal filter and what body means in coffee. If you are still not sure, all ten bags are on the all ten coffees page, and the subscription is 11% off with skip or cancel in one click.
Pick one process, brew it for a week, then try the other.
Questions people ask
Is natural process coffee better than washed?
Neither is better. Washed is the safer buy for a daily cup and for milk. Natural is the pick when you drink it black and want fruit. Our No. 1 Common Sense is washed and our No. 2 Good Sense is natural, both $28 for 12 oz.
Is natural process coffee sweeter?
Our natural bag lists milk chocolate, fruit and caramel on the label, and our washed Colombia lists cocoa, red apple and brown sugar. Both read sweet on paper. The natural leans toward fruit.
What is wet-hulled coffee?
It is the process on our No. 3 Position, listed on the label as wet-hulled (giling basah). It is neither the washed nor the natural route, which is why we list it on its own.
Free printable
Keep the ratio chart on your fridge
One page with grams, level tablespoons and scoops for every cup size and for coffee makers from 2 to 14 cups. Leave your email and the download link appears right here.