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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Natural (dry) processing is the oldest coffee processing method, and it leaves the coffee seed inside the whole fruit through drying, which produces a fruitier flavor profile. The transcript describes why it is harder than washed processing and how it is carried out step by step, using a facility in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia as the example.
Key Points
- Natural processing is the oldest method for removing the seed from the coffee cherry and is still widely used, including in Ethiopia, where Arabica was first discovered.
- Natural coffees are generally described as fruitier, with flavors that may resemble coffee cherry, blueberry, raspberry, or strawberry.
- Historically practiced in dry, warm, sunny climates with little humidity or cloud cover, but producers worldwide now adopt it for its fruit-contact profile.
- The key difference from washed coffee is duration: washed seeds are removed from the fruit within about 8 to 12 hours of harvest, while natural seeds stay in the whole fruit for the entire drying period.
- Fruit quality is critical, so only the ripest, freshest, most developed cherries are accepted, with meticulous sorting at delivery and throughout drying.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: Pick coffee cherries when ripe. Deliver them to a washing station and sort, weigh, and record them in cherry form, then move them directly to the drying area without depulping, fermenting, or washing. Spread the cherries on raised woven or mesh beds so air circulates around the fruit for even drying. Rotate the cherries and keep sorting them throughout drying, since the fruit ferments quickly and is prone to mold and defects. Dry until the seeds reach about 11% moisture, which typically takes three to four weeks. Pile or cover the coffee as needed to regulate drying, and transfer the cherries to another surface partway through to control drying rate and uniformity. Once dry, run the coffee through a hulling machine (using friction) to remove the fruit and parchment layer, sort by hand or with equipment, polish it, then sack and store it in a warehouse until shipping.
- Natural drying takes longer than washed or honey processing, which is why constant attention from staff is required.
- Many facilities, including those called washing stations in Ethiopia, produce both washed and natural coffees.
- Fermentation begins as soon as cherries are picked and speeds up under hot sun, which is the main reason drying is considered tricky.
Bottom Line
Natural processing trades faster, simpler drying for a fruit-forward cup, but it demands strict fruit selection and constant labor to prevent fermentation defects during the multi-week dry.
