Today, another common naming of roasting is after countries -- American roast, French roast, Italian roast, Turkish roast. These all go from light to dark, from mild in taste to down-right burnt tasting.
The first step is dry method which is the way coffee has been processed for centuries. Cherries are spread outside for 15 to 20 days. The cherries are exposed to the sun and stirred regularly to help them dry The dried cherries are then hulled by hand or by machine, removing the dried out pulp and parchment.
The other type of processing is know as wet or "washed" processing. A few hours after the cherries are harvested, the pulp is removed from the cherries. The beans are then washed in a process that involves cycles of fermentation and rinsing. Small amounts of fermentation don't hurt the bean but softens the remaining pulp and skin, making them able to be easily rinsed off. This is a better type of processing because it causes less damage to the bean than dry processing.