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Understanding Natural Coffee Processing Methods

Q: Can you explain the processing methods for natural coffee beans in a way that ordinary people can understand?

A: Of course, I always do. However, if I were to use wine or other beverages as an analogy, it would be somewhat similar but not entirely accurate. The distinction in processing methods is indeed similar to wine, differentiated by the degree of skin removal. Take white wine, for example - its fermentation involves complete skin removal, followed by sedimentation and filtration to eliminate tannins. This is somewhat like natural coffee, which after weeks of sun exposure, has its fruit skin become easily separated from the coffee beans, while the sugars from the fruit pulp remain in the coffee beans. If you use washed processing, these fruit flavors certainly cannot be preserved.

Q: So you're saying that natural coffee beans absorb all the essence from the fruit pulp?

A: Yes, that's exactly what I mean.

Q: Apart from flavor, is there nothing else worth discussing about natural coffee?

A: I believe we have always been at the forefront of natural coffee beans, constantly contemplating what natural coffee truly is and how to elevate it to the next level. I think our current understanding of natural coffee processing is still in its early stages. The natural processing method hasn't changed much over the years, while washed coffee has undergone revolutionary changes. Constantly updated equipment, mechanical tools, and even technologies - these are the continuous changes we've seen over the past 60 to 70 years. Natural coffee, however, remains unchanged, continuing to use traditional techniques passed down through generations. Therefore, we will explore and think more about how to improve natural coffee and what changes can make natural coffee beans even better than they are today.

The Economics of Natural Coffee Processing

Q: As a labor-intensive method for processing coffee beans, do you have more opportunities to exchange ideas with growers to improve the quality of produced coffee beans?

A: Natural processing is undoubtedly the lowest-cost processing method. We (Counter Culture) have a project in Ethiopia where we work with 18 growers on a considerable farm field, and we meticulously select the finest coffee beans to create the final perfect product. Even if your plantation is large, the operational costs of natural coffee are quite low because you don't need to build fermentation tanks, water troughs, or various machinery (which naturally requires electrical setup) as with washed coffee. Without mechanical assistance, manual labor is naturally more challenging, making it difficult to consistently maintain excellent quality. This is why it's easy to learn but difficult to master. However, due to increasingly discerning buyers, every natural coffee producer faces challenges. Not many natural coffee producers have persisted.

Q: The following question might reveal my ignorance about coffee, but I still hope you can resolve my confusion. My understanding is that fermentation has minimal impact on the flavor of natural coffee. Is this correct?

A: You need to understand that natural coffee beans begin the fermentation process the moment they are picked. When thinking about this, you must place yourself in the position of the coffee bean and consider what changes occur in your body when you're picked. You'll then discover that the real issue is actually the inconsistent fermentation degree in natural coffee beans. So how exactly should we handle this inconsistency? Let's return to wine - we know that red wine has strong tannins because its process doesn't involve excessive filtration, maintaining the most original flavor of the grapes. But some people say red wine is delicious while others disagree. So where exactly is the optimal balance point for natural coffee?

The Future of Natural Coffee

Q: Can natural coffee continue to adapt to future major trends?

A: I believe that colleagues in natural coffee all know that you can't find high-quality natural coffee on the map. Even if you want to find it, you can't, because in some countries, certain natural coffee processing workflows are explicitly prohibited. For this reason, natural coffee is naturally considered low-quality coffee. Therefore, these countries, considering how to sell their coffee at higher prices and maximize growers' returns, typically have a series of laws, regulations, and policies that explicitly prohibit natural coffee. Rwanda and Burundi are excellent examples. When we worked on natural coffee in these two countries, we received "special treatment" when it came to the final export step. Before making these natural coffees, we received verbal promises allowing export, but ultimately faced rejection. It's not just government agencies in these two countries that worry about this behavior - many coffee-exporting countries are the same. So you ask me about trends? Resolve the interest issues, and natural coffee will become a trend.

Q: Are there signs now that natural coffee is regaining its former status?

A: Perhaps. But it's hard to say.

Q: Do you think people who drink specialty coffee can distinguish high-quality coffee and thus drive more coffee sales, or is this not a factor in driving sales?

A: Personally, I believe quality is a factor affecting sales, but natural and washed coffees are becoming increasingly polarized. However, to some extent, we need to look at both sides. We have seen benefits from this differentiation. First, let me talk about my experience in specialty coffee - my interest in specialty coffee inevitably began with the impact a natural coffee bean had on my taste buds. Its different, unique, and outstanding flavor deeply attracted me, making me feel as if I had reached heaven and exclaimed "aha!" After returning to earth, I began asking, "I feel there's an extraordinary experience in this bean - I can't understand whether this is God's creation or an earthly delicacy?" Carrying this question, I communicated with buyers, went to the fields, conducted cupping sessions - I've been in this field for 15 years, all to make this deliciousness even better. In my impression, the quality of coffee beans on the market varies, with mostly medium to lower quality. It's precisely for this reason that I'm greatly motivated to improve the quality of natural coffee.

Quality Standards and Improvements

Good natural coffee green beans have a moisture content of about 12%

Q: So do you believe your mission is to improve the quality of natural coffee?

A: Today I would tell you that our work has always been efficient, and we continue to use scientific cultivation and processing techniques. We have our own set of scientific theories and通过各种尝试 to find the best methods to improve natural coffee quality. I admit that a considerable portion of today's natural coffee doesn't achieve ideal quality. But I don't agree with people making generalizations that our natural coffee's flavor is inferior to other coffees. For me, I'm very glad that natural coffee still has much room for improvement. From my perspective working on the front lines of natural coffee, I know what level our quality has reached. Overall, we still have a gap compared to washed coffee. If you ask me about the future, I will definitely tell you that we will be at a disadvantage for a considerable period. But in the past two years, I've seen that the natural coffee produced by our growers shows overall more uniform quality compared to washed coffee beans from the same plantation. I believe this is a new milestone for Counter Culture, something we never imagined before. I believe that one day the quality of natural coffee we produce can rival our washed coffee quality.

Q: Young man, your ideals are quite impressive.

A: Using Rejoice, that's how confident I am.

Environmental and Geographic Factors

Q: Is the flavor of natural coffee beans also affected by geographical environment?

A: Yes.

Q: Tell us about the flavors in different environments.

A: Certainly. One more thing I'll mention later today is that all the natural coffees we purchase come from Africa. This isn't because the climate differs from the rest of the world, but because I like that slight acidity from African coffee. I must reiterate that the high-quality coffee I'm looking for must be coffee with balanced fruit acidity and sweetness.

Q: So you've been looking for these beans with balanced sweet and sour flavors in Africa?

A: Yes.

Now I want to talk with you about the environmental impact of natural coffee. Industrial water usage is receiving increasing attention - from this perspective, do you see hope for increased natural coffee production?

This is a good question. Very difficult to answer. If you buy Brazilian beans, most of them are natural. But if people only drink washed Brazilian beans in the future, that would be terrible. You should know that semi-washed coffee is gradually becoming popular in Brazil. In that case, you know industrial water usage is quite astonishing. But my experience tells me that washed coffee actually uses more water only when distinguishing ripe from unripe beans in the water troughs; other stages don't involve much water. But you asked a good question.

People are increasingly concerned about the environment. Will this concern lead people to adopt natural fermentation methods? Or is the environmental impact of washed coffee a negligible issue?

Honestly, if you truly care about environmental issues, natural is your only choice. What I saw in Ethiopia years ago was that in this water-scarce country (actually lacking clean water), water needs to be filtered before use. If I roast beans, I won't treat washed beans differently - I'll do my best to caramelize them. But for green beans, I would encourage more natural bean production. This is from the perspective of environmental protection.

Market and Quality Trends

Q: You focus solely on natural coffee. Aren't you worried about sales? Do consumers actually buy coffee with only one processing method?

A: For me, natural coffee is currently the largest project at Counter Culture. I believe that by focusing on a single product, we've made our natural coffee first-class. Regarding coffee roasting, I think I've mastered the heat level quite well. I don't appreciate or comment on others' roasting. There's still considerable distance before natural and washed coffees can compete on equal footing. For us, 90% of our coffee beans are washed, but I believe I can increase the proportion of natural beans. The masses have discerning eyes, and my responsibility is to improve the quality of natural beans.

Q: Do you see a trend of improving quality in natural coffee? Is it slow improvement or no improvement at all? Are people actually working hard to improve, but just not seeing significant results?

A: I think I haven't found the right method to produce unparalleled coffee beans, in any country. I think Counter Culture has done very well. We don't need to find all the answers. But we must ensure that the natural coffee we present is not inferior to the washed coffee we present to you, cup for cup. I believe that whether it's washed or natural, our customers' needs are equally matched - this is our goal. For me, natural coffee can only be second best until it reaches the level of washed coffee. I work with growers to find better natural processing methods and higher efficiency. You ask if all this is worth it - I would answer: I love, therefore I am. The natural coffee process is quite laborious, and because it requires drying for several weeks, it needs to occupy large areas for long periods. But on harvest day, it's like completing the mission entrusted by customers - this is my best effort to get the finest natural coffee, and customer satisfaction motivates me to increase natural coffee production. Again, I love natural coffee, therefore I make natural coffee.

Q: There's a saying about natural coffee that its flavors are chaotic and its quality never meets requirements. What do you think of this statement?

A: I don't consider natural coffee to have bad flavor. I see this as one of my major challenges because everyone is already conducting experiments in the fields. If you saw me start fermentation steps immediately after picking coffee, you might say I'm unprofessional, but I don't care what you say, because my natural coffee begins the fermentation process the moment it's picked. As I mentioned above about my coffee, I use altitude to increase coffee acidity. Industrially produced coffee beans cannot achieve our ideal flavor. Moreover, cupping scores haven't been high over the years. And for this reason, we haven't lowered our scoring standards for natural coffee.

Natural Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's freshly roasted single-origin natural coffee beans - such as Natural Yirgacheffe and Natural Sidamo - offer full guarantees in both brand and quality, suitable for brewing with various equipment. More importantly, they offer extremely high value, with a half-pound (227g) bag priced at only around 70-90 yuan. Calculated at 200ml per cup of single-origin coffee with a powder-to-water ratio of 1:15, one bag can make 15 cups of specialty coffee, with each cup costing only 5-6 yuan. Compared to café prices that often reach dozens of yuan per cup, this represents exceptional value.

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