When you see "natural" or "dry processed" on one of our bags, it means the whole cherry went to the drying bed intact — skin, fruit, seed, all of it. Done well, this produces bigger fruit, fuller body, and dessert-like sweetness while staying clean enough for daily drinking. Done carelessly, it's a mess. We only carry the ones that are worth it.
Natural processing punishes bad picking hard. Underripe cherries don't have enough sugar to develop properly and contribute green, grassy notes. Overripes go mushy and ferment unevenly. Only fully ripe, consistently red (or yellow, depending on variety) cherries go to the drying beds.
Some producers float-sort before drying — the same logic as washed: dense, ripe cherries sink; hollow or defective ones float and get skimmed. Not everyone does this step, but the ones who do tend to produce cleaner lots.
Whole cherries are spread in thin, even layers on raised beds or patios. Workers rake and turn them multiple times a day to prevent mold, uneven drying, and fermentation pockets. This is the most labor-intensive part. Depending on altitude, humidity, and sun, drying takes 3–6 weeks — compared to days for parchment coffee.
Shade cloth, bed thickness, and airflow are all variables producers manage actively. Too thick a layer traps heat and moisture — mold risk. Too thin and drying is uneven. Good naturals are the product of producers who are obsessive about these details, not ones who just put cherries in the sun and hope.
Once dried to 10–12% moisture, the cherry rests in storage before milling. The dried fruit skin and pulp are then hulled off mechanically, the beans are sorted by density and screen size, and then defects are hand-sorted before export. A well-dried, well-hulled natural bean looks clean and green — not shrivelled or discoloured.
What goes wrong: Poorly managed naturals taste vinegary, boozy, or just muddy — sharp ferment character that doesn't sit well in the cup. These defects are permanent; no amount of roasting fixes bad processing. We taste through a lot of samples and pass on anything that isn't genuinely clean.
A well-processed natural coffee is genuinely one of the more exciting things in specialty coffee — the fruit character is unlike anything you get from washed lots. Here's the profile to expect when it's done right:
The body and sweetness of naturals reward brewing methods that preserve texture. Heavy-handed extraction amplifies ferment character — the goal is sweet and syrupy, not sharp. A slightly coarser grind and lower temperature than you'd use for a bright washed coffee usually gets you there.
| Method | Ratio | Grind | Temp | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pour-Over | 1:15–1:16 | Medium-coarse | 90–94°C | Go slightly coarser than you would for a washed. Keeps the fruit sweet rather than sharp. Aim for 3:00–3:30 total. |
| Filter / Batch | 1:16 | Medium-coarse | 90–93°C | Naturals can taste heavy in a batch brewer at regular ratios — dial back extraction slightly to keep it clean. |
| Espresso | 1:2–1:2.2 | Fine | 91–93°C | Watch for fast blonding — naturals can look done before they are. Adjust grind fine in small steps. Syrupy is the target, not sharp or hollow. |
| Cold Brew | 1:8–1:10 | Coarse | Cold / room temp | Naturals are exceptional cold brew. The chocolate-berry profile holds beautifully at low temperature — this is one of our strongest recommendations. |
| French Press | 1:14–1:15 | Coarse | 92–94°C | The extra body from immersion stacks well with the natural's existing body — rich, full, and sweet. |
For the full guide including grind size charts and water quality guidance, see Bert's Brew Guide.
Fruit removed before drying. Clean, precise, terroir-forward. The reference style for transparent flavour.
Dried whole in the cherry. Bigger body, pronounced fruit, more complexity — and more risk.
Skin off, some mucilage left. Sits between washed and natural — sweetness with some structure.
Fruit removed before drying — the clearest, most origin-transparent style.
Read Washed ProcessingFruit-forward, full body, high reward — you're here.
Current PageThe middle method — skin off, mucilage on. Sweetness with more structure than natural.
Read Honey Processing