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Ten Questions and Answers About Sun-Dried Coffee Beans - Advantages and Trends of Natural Coffee

Understanding Natural Coffee Processing

Q: Can you explain natural coffee processing in a way ordinary people can understand?

A: Of course - I always do. Wine or other beverages make an analogy that is close but not exact. The distinction between processing methods is indeed similar to wine, differing by how much skin is removed. White wine, for example, ferments with the skins completely removed, then settles and filters out the tannins. That is somewhat like natural coffee: after weeks in the sun, the fruit skin separates easily from the beans while the sugars of the pulp remain inside them. Washed processing could never preserve those fruit flavors.

Q: So natural coffee beans absorb all the essence of the pulp?

A: Yes - that is exactly what I mean.

Q: Beyond flavor, is there anything else worth discussing about natural coffee?

A: I believe we have always stood at the frontier of natural coffee, constantly asking what natural coffee truly is and how to elevate it. Our current understanding of natural processing is still in its early stages. The method has barely changed over the years, while washed coffee has been revolutionized - constantly updated equipment, tools, and technologies across the past 60 to 70 years. Natural coffee remains unchanged, still using techniques passed down through generations. So we will keep exploring how to improve it, and what changes could make natural beans even better than they are today.

The Economics of Natural Processing

Q: As a labor-intensive method, does it give you more opportunities to exchange ideas with growers and improve quality?

A: Natural processing is without doubt the lowest-cost method. We (Counter Culture) run a project in Ethiopia working with 18 growers across a considerable stretch of farmland, meticulously selecting the finest beans for the final product. Even on a large plantation, the operating costs are low: no fermentation tanks, water troughs, or machinery (and its electrical wiring) as washed coffee requires. Without mechanical assistance the manual labor is harder, which makes consistent quality difficult - easy to learn, hard to master. And with buyers ever more discerning, every natural producer faces challenges; not many have persisted.

Q: This next question may reveal my ignorance, but I hope you can resolve it. My understanding is that fermentation has minimal impact on the flavor of natural coffee. Is that correct?

A: You need to understand that natural coffee begins fermenting the moment it is picked. Put yourself in the bean's position and ask what changes inside you once you are picked - you'll find the real issue is the inconsistent degree of fermentation in natural beans. How should we handle that inconsistency? Back to wine: red wine has strong tannins because its process filters little, keeping the grape's most original flavor - yet some call red wine delicious and others disagree. So where exactly is the optimal balance point for natural coffee?

The Future of Natural Coffee

Q: Can natural coffee adapt to the major trends of the future?

A: Everyone in natural coffee knows you cannot find high-quality natural coffee on the map - you simply can't, because in some countries certain natural-processing workflows are explicitly prohibited, which is why natural coffee gets labeled low-quality. To sell their coffee at higher prices and maximize growers' returns, those countries maintain laws, regulations, and policies that ban it outright; Rwanda and Burundi are excellent examples. When we worked on natural coffee in those two countries, we received "special treatment" at the export step: verbal promises to allow export that ultimately became rejection. It is not just those two governments - many coffee-exporting countries are the same. So you ask about trends? Resolve the interest issues, and natural coffee will become a trend.

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

A: Perhaps. But it is hard to say.

Q: Do you think specialty coffee drinkers can distinguish high quality and thereby drive more sales - or is that not a factor?

A: Quality is a factor, but natural and washed coffees are becoming increasingly polarized - and that differentiation has brought benefits. My own entry into specialty coffee began with the impact a natural bean had on my taste buds: a flavor so different, unique, and outstanding that I felt I had reached heaven and exclaimed "aha!" Back on earth, I began asking: there is something extraordinary in this bean - is it God's creation or an earthly delicacy? Carrying that question I talked with buyers, went to the fields, ran cuppings - fifteen years in this field, all to make that deliciousness even better. In my experience the market's beans vary widely, mostly mid-grade or lower, and that is precisely what motivates me to improve natural coffee.

Quality Standards and Improvements

Good natural green coffee has a moisture content of about 12%.

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

A: I would tell you our work has always been efficient, using scientific cultivation and processing - our own set of theories, refined through trials to find the best ways to raise quality. I admit much of today's natural coffee falls short of the ideal, but I reject the generalization that natural flavor is inherently inferior. From the front lines I know exactly what level our quality has reached; overall we still trail washed coffee, and for a while yet we will be at a disadvantage. But in the past two years I have seen our growers' naturals show more uniform quality than the washed beans from the very same plantations - a new milestone we never imagined. One day our naturals will rival our washed coffees.

Q: Young man, your ideals are impressive.

A: Confident? You could say that.

Environment and Geography

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

A: Yes.

Q: Tell us about flavors in different environments.

A: Certainly. One more thing I will say today: all the naturals we buy come from Africa. Not because the climate differs from the rest of the world, but because I like that slight acidity of African coffee - the quality I seek must balance fruit acidity and sweetness.

Q: So you have been searching for those balanced sweet-tart beans in Africa?

A: Yes.

Now, about the environmental impact: industrial water use is drawing more and more attention - from that perspective, do you see hope for more natural production?

A good question, and hard to answer. If you buy Brazilian beans, most are natural. But if people drank only washed Brazilian beans in the future, that would be terrible - semi-washed coffee is gradually becoming popular in Brazil, and industrial water use is astonishing. My experience tells me washed coffee uses more water mainly at the flotation troughs that separate ripe from unripe beans; the other stages use little. But it is a fair question.

As environmental concern grows, will people turn to natural methods? Or is washed coffee's water use a negligible issue?

Honestly, if you truly care about the environment, natural is your only choice. What I saw years ago in Ethiopia - a water-scarce country (actually lacking clean water) where water must be filtered before use - settled it for me. When I roast, I don't treat washed beans differently; I caramelize them as best I can. But for green coffee, I would encourage more natural production - for the environment's sake.

Market and Quality Trends

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

A: Natural coffee is currently the largest project at Counter Culture, and by focusing on a single product we have made our naturals first-class. As for roasting, I think I have mastered the heat; I don't appreciate or comment on others' roasting. There is still considerable distance before natural and washed compete on equal footing - 90% of our beans are washed today, but I believe I can raise the share of naturals. The masses have discerning eyes; my responsibility is to improve natural quality.

Q: Do you see quality improving in natural coffee? Slow improvement, no improvement, hard work without visible results?

A: I haven't yet found the method to produce unparalleled beans in any country, and Counter Culture has done very well - we don't need all the answers, but we must ensure the naturals we present are not inferior to our washed coffees, cup for cup. Washed or natural, our customers deserve equally matched quality - that is the goal. Until natural reaches washed's level, it remains second best; so I work with growers on better, more efficient natural methods. Is it worth it? I love, therefore I am. Natural processing is laborious - weeks of drying, large areas occupied for long periods - but on harvest day it feels like completing the mission our customers entrusted to us. Their satisfaction drives me to produce more. Again: I love natural coffee, therefore I make natural coffee.

Q: There is a saying that natural coffee's flavors are chaotic and its quality never meets requirements. Your thoughts?

A: I don't consider natural coffee's flavor bad - I see it as one of my great challenges, because everyone is already experimenting in the fields. If you saw me start fermentation the moment coffee is picked you might call me unprofessional, but I don't care: my natural coffee begins fermenting the instant it is picked. As I said, I use altitude to raise acidity; industrially produced beans cannot reach our ideal flavor. Cupping scores haven't been high in recent years - and precisely for that reason, we have never lowered our scoring standards for natural coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Washed processing is the traditional method that uses water to carry coffee fruit through its journey: flotation, pulping, tank fermentation to break down the mucilage, washing or further soaking, drying, then hulling. The long soak triggers chemical changes inside the bean and consumes much of its simple sugars - fructose and glucose - lowering sugar content while raising organic acids. Washed coffee therefore keeps more of the bean's own character while adding bright fruit acidity and a clean, fresh profile.

The most famous showcase is FrontStreet Kenya "Cherry Tomato," a prime example of Kenya's signature double fermentation: the process repeats a full wash cycle - flotation, soaking, washing off residual mucilage, soaking again, then drying, hulling, and storage - and the repeated rinsing pushes the fruit-juice quality to its limit. Expect cherry tomato, dried plum, snow pear, black plum, and yellow sugar with a sweet-tart, juicy cup, a favorite of hardcore coffee players. By contrast, Jamaica - one of the era's most famous origins - suffered from short sunshine in its island climate, and washed processing was born precisely to cut the beans' spoilage risk: removing skin, pulp, and mucilage before drying reduces the moisture wrapped around the bean, shortens drying, and yields bright, low-defect beans. It is what guarantees FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 its rich aroma - pure notes of hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel with an essentially balanced cup where nothing sticks out and nothing is missing.

Closer to the washed tradition's heart is FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Guodingding: many people know Yirgacheffe but not that local farmers, with small harvests, send cherries to cooperatives for shared processing. Guodingding is an excellent processing team from Guodingding village, with skilled experience and a reputation built on exceptionally refined, clean coffee. The washed process lets it show jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity at full strength, and after a medium-light roast the cup adds green tea and honey tones - suitable for pour-over, cold brew, or espresso alike.