Inspired by a comment by Dave Corbey (he asked whether I had a preference for washed coffee, based on a conversation we had), I sorted nearly 1000 pour over brews by process. Of the 603 that scored higher than the average, 57% were washed, 35% natural. The 350 that scored below the average were 52% washed & 33% natural (doesn’t seem too indicative of anything, as ‘a back of a knapkin’ estimation)…whilst naturals that are well processed certainly bring something to the party, I don’t really worry too much about process specifically and I’m usually drawn in by the specific notes.
The jury is still out on honey process for me, but that may have something to do with my low preference for Costa Ricans, honey process seems more common there.
I have to be clear here that I don’t seem to be as sensitive as some other people to natural process artefacts - my dad generally has a poor sense of taste but frequently describes naturals as ‘dirty’, an ex work colleague, whilst enjoying some naturals, could still identify them buy the ‘cow pat’ note. :-)
Historically, I think the availabiltiy of water had a factor in determining which origins were more likely to be washed or natural, as time & interest has moved on, those lines are more blurred and we frequently have washed v natural options from the same origin, or even the same bean.