Yirgacheffe Coffee Bean Natural Processing Method: Process, Pros, Cons, and Flavor Characteristics

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Natural processed coffee beans dry inside the cherry pulp, so weather conditions directly shape their quality. At FrontStreet Coffee we work with natural beans alongside the other two traditional methods: washed and honey. In our experience, natural processing amplifies a bean's inherent flavors, giving richer body, more intense flavor, and noticeable sweetness. Washed coffee leans toward brighter acidity, better clarity, a medium mouthfeel, and the most consistent green-bean quality. Honey processed beans sit in between, with balanced acidity and sweetness; like natural processing, honey processing includes sun-drying, which heightens aroma and builds a full body.

Natural Processing Steps

Collection/Selection → Drying → Hulling → Sorting & Grading → Storage

Collection & Selection: After harvesting, the cherries are hand-sorted to remove defective fruit - overripe, underripe, or insect-damaged cherries - along with any foreign material mixed in with them.

Drying: Once sorted, the cherries go to the drying area for sun-drying. Different regions use different setups - some lay down waterproof tarps, others use raised beds, and still others spread the fruit on concrete. Drying averages 3 to 4 weeks, until moisture content falls to 11%.

Hulling: When drying is finished, the cherries are sent to the processing plant for hulling and even polishing, which removes the dried pulp and skin.

Sorting & Storage: After hulling, the green beans are sorted again to remove any with poor appearance. This stage also reflects how well the drying was done - over-dried beans turn brittle and can shatter during hulling, while under-dried beans hold too much moisture and are prone to bacterial growth and mold.

Advantages of Natural Processing

Apart from the water used in the first step to float off inferior beans, natural processing needs no additional water and allows that water to be reused. In regions where water is scarce, that is a real advantage.

On top of that, because natural processing gives beans an irreplaceable character, many excellent farms have started taking it seriously - using raised beds to avoid contamination and sorting with real care. As a result, we can now find plenty of high-quality natural coffee on the market.

Disadvantages of Natural Processing

Natural processing depends entirely on the weather, which makes the drying level of the cherries hard to control. If the drying beds aren't clean, contaminants mix in easily. Because the pulp stays on the bean throughout drying, mold and rot are common. That is why many people see naturally processed coffee as having weaker quality control and lower grades.

Flavor Profile of Natural Processed Coffee

Natural beans may look uneven and vary a lot in color, but because they ripen inside the cherry without outside interference, they show more intense flavors, with wine-like fermentation notes and pronounced sweetness. At FrontStreet Coffee we've found that the most famous natural coffees come from Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions. Although both are Ethiopian, their profiles differ. We brewed Yirgacheffe's Red Cherry and Ethiopia's "Hua Kui" side by side to compare them.

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry Coffee Beans

Region: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
Altitude: 1700-2200m
Processing: Natural Process
Variety: Local Landraces

Ethiopia Natural Hua Kui Coffee Beans

Region: Guji Hambella
Processing Station: Buku Able
Altitude: 2350m
Variety: Local Landraces
Processing: Natural Process

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Tips

To highlight the fermentation character of natural processing, our roaster uses a medium-light roast for both coffees. For medium-light beans we recommend 90-91°C water. Higher temperatures help draw out the aromatic compounds and acidity of a light roast - the tropical-fruit aromas and tropical-fruit acidity. Because medium-light beans are denser and harder, the extra heat improves extraction efficiency and keeps the acidity from turning sharp. The V60 conical brewer, with its wide opening and spiral ribs, lets air escape more easily and so improves extraction quality. The mouthfeel may not be as full, but the sweet-tart concentration and distinct aroma are what it does best.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Brewer: V60
Water Temperature: 90-91°C
Coffee Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Fine sugar size (80% passing the #20 screen)

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique

First pour: add 30g of water and let it bloom for 30 seconds. Then pour 95g (the scale reads around 125g total), finishing this pour in about 1 minute. When the water level drops to two-thirds of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100g (the scale reads around 225g total), finishing in about 1 minute 35 seconds. The drip finishes at 2 minutes 4 seconds. Remove the brewer and the extraction is done.

Tasting Notes

Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry: a delicate fermented wine aroma, citrus, honey-like sweetness, cocoa, with a persistent aftertaste.

Natural Hua Kui: citrus acidity, a full-bodied blackcurrant juice sensation, lemon black tea character, with lasting sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For anyone who wants to taste natural processing at its most approachable, FrontStreet Natural Red Cherry from Yirgacheffe is the natural place to start: fermented wine aroma, citrus, honey sweetness and cocoa over a long finish. We brew it in a V60 with 15g of coffee at a 1:15 ratio and 90-91°C water, ground to fine-sugar size (about 80% passing the #20 screen). If you'd rather explore the washed side of Yirgacheffe first, FrontStreet Guodingding Cooperative brings jasmine florals and bright citrus-lemon acidity with a clean, tea-like body - equally good as pour-over or cold brew.