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Natural Processing: The New Favorite Choice for Specialty Coffee

The natural processing method, once primarily used for handling lower-grade coffee beans, has evolved over time and developed new applications, gradually becoming a favorite for many specialty coffees...

Understanding the Natural Processing Workflow

Let's briefly explain the workflow of traditional natural processing. Traditionally, coffee cherries are placed on asphalt or concrete patios for sun-drying, or sometimes spread directly on the ground. When the moisture content drops to about 15%, they are moved to mechanical equipment for final drying.

However, whether on patios or directly on the ground, both approaches suffer from poor air circulation, making them prone to fermentation and spoilage. Especially when spread on the ground, issues like human and animal trampling, dust accumulation, and animal feces not only make quality control difficult but also更容易 introduce undesirable flavors. Therefore, in the past, only lower-grade coffee beans were processed using the natural method. Additionally, unlike the washed processing method which can use flotation to separate defective or unripe beans, natural processing can only rely on manual visual sorting. This explains why the highest grade for natural-processed coffee was historically limited to G3.

However, the newly improved natural processing method, known as African raised beds, despite higher costs, allows coffee beans to maintain breathable space with better air circulation. As long as the beans are regularly turned, the fermentation quality becomes much more stable than in the past. Meanwhile, raised beds also mean coffee beans won't be affected by ground dust, animal feces, ground moisture, and other factors that could compromise quality. Premium natural processing actually requires considerable manual labor! From selection, turning, repositioning beans for uniform drying, monitoring drying speed, to removing uneven beans - every step requires human intervention. Additionally, premium natural processing involves many important details and techniques. For example, when moisture content drops to about 25%, to prevent overly rapid drying, cotton cloth is used to cover the beans while still allowing them to breathe. If it rains, plastic covers are used instead (small details make a big difference).

The Evolution and Renaissance of Natural Processing

Why weren't African raised beds used in the past? Because fermentation technology knowledge was insufficient, natural processing was only used to handle defective beans. Over time, people developed poor impressions of naturally processed coffee, becoming increasingly unwilling to invest in equipment improvements for natural processing, creating a stereotypical view of the method. Fortunately, new forces in recent years have been willing to try various approaches, allowing natural processing to make a comeback.

In fact, good natural processing can preserve the most original and natural flavors of coffee beans. The emergence of improved raised beds has transformed natural processing into a new choice for specialty coffee. Some processing plants even combine dry and wet fermentation methods. Naturally processed coffee beans have been receiving increasingly positive evaluations and are often used as competition beans in international competitions. From 2013 to 2015, Coffee Review's top ten rankings featured traces of African premium natural-processed coffees!

Experience Flavor-Rich Natural Processed Coffee

Interested in trying naturally processed beans full of character?

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse variety of beans, where you can find both famous and lesser-known coffee beans. Online store services are also available. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473