Hey coffee lovers, are you curious about green beans and what exactly you're supposed to do with them? As more people discover the fun and freshness of home roasting, green beans are gaining popularity, and coffee lovers are asking questions.
Let’s chat and uncover the mystery of green beans by discussing the methods our farmer partners use to process them, tips when choosing them, and the rewards you get from home roasting. Join us and let’s embark together on the journey of green coffee beans from farm to mug.
Green Coffee Beans, Explained
Coffee trees don’t actually produce “beans.” They actually produce a stone fruit, which is why they are referred to as “coffee cherries.”
So, what are the beans then?
The green unroasted coffee beans are the seeds farmers remove from the cherry pulp and dry until they reach about 10-12% moisture. Since they’re not yet roasted, they’re green, blue-green, or yellow-green, and they get their name simply because they resemble dried beans.
However, at this stage, they don’t smell or taste at all like the coffee we know and love. Roasting them is what transforms them into the brown beans with the flavors, aromas, and oils we associate with coffee.
So, how do we get from a green bean to our favorite morning brew? It starts with roasting, and when you roast at home, that transformation happens in your own kitchen, giving you the freshest cup possible.
From Coffee Cherry to Green Bean
Different regions and farmers use different processing methods, which all help bring out unique flavors. This diversity is one of the many reasons we enjoy meeting the farmers who grow our coffees, so we gain a better understanding of how these methods affect the flavors that end up in your cup.
Washed (Fully Washed)
This method is common in areas with plenty of water, like Columbia, Mexico, and Guatemala. It involves picking ripe cherries and removing the pulp while still fresh. The seeds are then soaked in water for 24-48 hours to ferment slightly so any remaining pulp can break down.
Then, they’re washed again and laid out in the sun to dry in their parchment layer, which is a protective paper-like skin that surrounds each bean, like a seed coat. This takes about 1-2 weeks and once dried to 10-12%, the parchment layer is removed, and they’re ready for export.
Natural Process
The natural process or sun-dried method involves picking ripe cherries and leaving them directly in the sun to dry, which often produces coffees with more fruit-forward flavor notes, like berries, citrus, or florals.
This takes about 2-4 weeks, as the whole cherry is dried. Once dry, farmers remove the seeds from the cherries, and they're ready for export.
This method is popular in dryer climates where you can sun-dry the cherries for longer. Our partners at the Sidama Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in Ethiopia use this method, which produces unique flavors unlike our other coffees.
Wet-Hulled
The wet-hulled process is a unique method used in Indonesia, where there's so much rain that there aren’t enough successive sunny days for slower drying. The green beans from our partners at the Koperasi Gayo Lauser Antara Cooperative (KGLA) in Sumatra are wet-hulled.
Here, the ripe cherries are picked and pulped, then fermented overnight and washed clean. After that, they dry the seeds to about 50% moisture before removing the parchment layer.
Then, the seeds are sun-dried for another day or so without their parchment until they reach 10-12% moisture.
Honey Processed
The honey process is when beans’ skin is removed all while leaving the sticky, sugary fruit layer, also known as mucilage, on the bean to dry. The name “honey” derives from the golden, sticky look the beans take on when they dry. Drying typically takes place in the sun on raised beds or patios with workers regularly turning the beans.
Yellow, red, and black honey refer to different mucilage coverage and drying techniques on the coffee beans, with each process creating a range of taste profiles.
What To Look for When Choosing Green Coffee Beans
Color and Appearance
The color should typically be a uniform light green or bluish-green. However, natural process coffees are often less uniform and yellowish-green if more of the chaff is left on after processing.
Also, avoid coffees with significant defects like too many chips, black spots, insect damage, or broken beans.
Size and Density
Sometimes coffees are sold in different grades that correlate to size, such as Colombian Supremo, which is the largest-sized bean. However, size and density vary heavily with origin, and bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better.
Origin and Varietal Information
Choosing origins and varietals is entirely a personal preference. While origin is easier to trace, varietals can be more challenging since the same farm often grows multiple varietals, and buying mixed lots that contain different varietals is common.
Still, the more you know, the better. Research your single-origin or blend to find out where they come from. Looking for certified organic, Fair Trade coffees sourced through long-term partnerships with farming cooperatives typically provides a lot more information about how and where it was produced. Those long-term relationships also better support organic, sustainable farming, shade-grown production, and cooperative-led investments in infrastructure and community needs.
Roasting Green Beans at Home
Buying green unroasted coffee beans is becoming increasingly popular because you can roast them yourself using a home roaster like the FreshRoast SR540. This brings you the freshest-tasting coffees and allows for the fun of experimentation.
During roasting, coffee goes through chemical reactions known as the Maillard reaction and caramelization, which transform sugars, amino acids, and other compounds to produce those delicious flavor notes of caramel, chocolate, warm baking spices, and toasted nuts that we often associate with coffee.
When you use your own equipment at home, you’ll quickly learn how different origins respond to different roast levels, producing unique flavor profiles, aromas, body, and acidity. This is why roasting is more art than science: you learn the characteristics and how to coax out the flavors you want from each origin and roast level.
In addition to freshness and experimentation, another reason people buy unroasted beans is that they can be stored much longer than those that are already roasted because they haven't gone through those chemical changes that start the clock ticking faster on freshness.
However, while freshly roasted is often best, most coffees will benefit from about a week of rest in a sealed container after roasting and before brewing to allow the trapped carbon dioxide to escape the beans, which can affect the flavors in your cup.
And if you'd rather skip the roasting yourself, we've got you covered. Enjoy one of our awesome coffees, roasted here at our beanery in Orange, Massachusetts. As an employee-owned, Certified B Corp coffee company and Fair Trade Federation member, we’re proud to focus on direct, long-term partnerships with the farmer cooperatives who grow the coffee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Drink Coffee From Green Beans?
No. The flavor of our morning brew is a direct result of roasting green beans. If you try brewing unroasted beans, it will taste more like herbal tea. Also, grinding them without roasting first may damage your grinder's burrs or motor.
Are Green Coffee Beans the Same as Green Coffee Extract?
No. Green coffee beans are whole, unroasted seeds from the fruits of the coffee tree. Green coffee extract is a liquid concentrate made from green beans that’s sometimes sold as a dietary supplement. "Green coffee extract" also sometimes refers to the green bean-infused water used to create Swiss Water Decaf.
How Long Do Green Coffee Beans Last?
Green beans last much longer than roasted coffees, staying fresh for about 12 months, depending on the storage conditions. However, once roasted, coffees are best used within one month to ensure freshness.
Start Roasting at Home Today With Dean’s Beans Green Beans
Home roasting green beans is an excellent way to guarantee you get the freshest roasts possible in your mug. But it’s also a way for coffee lovers, beginners and connoisseurs alike, to explore and experiment, learning how different roast levels bring out different flavors from the roast or the origin. It’s a fascinating process. Choosing your origins also allows you to understand how washing, wet hulling, and the natural process methods used for processing the cherries affect your final flavor profile.
However, to ensure you get a cup that’s carefully processed, sustainable, and socially beneficial, choose our certified organic, Fair Trade, shade-grown green unroasted coffee beans sourced through long-term partnerships with farming cooperatives.
