Natural Coffee Guide

There are two main processing methods: washed and natural. For natural, the coffee cherry is laid out to dry without removing the skin or fruit. Sometimes called 'dry processed' coffee, this method is popular in regions with less water like Ethiopia.

Natural processing is the oldest method of preparing coffee for roasting, predating mechanical depulpers and wet mills by centuries. While washed processing strips the fruit away before drying, natural processing allows the bean to absorb sugars and compounds from the surrounding fruit as it dries—creating a fundamentally different flavor experience in the cup.

After the cherries are dried to the appropriate moisture level—typically around 10–12%—they are taken to a dry-milling facility where the dried husk is removed. This step, called hulling, strips away the parchment and dried fruit in one pass, revealing the green coffee bean inside.

The timing of dry milling matters. Many producers rest their dried naturals in storage for weeks or months before hulling, allowing moisture to equalize throughout the bean. This resting period helps stabilize the coffee and can improve clarity in the cup. Once hulled, the green coffee is sorted, graded, and prepared for export.

Natural processing is popular in regions with less water like Ethiopia, where the method has been practiced for centuries. Ethiopia's Guji, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe zones produce some of the world's most celebrated natural coffees, with intense berry and floral notes that have captivated specialty coffee drinkers worldwide.

Beyond Ethiopia, natural processing is prominent in Brazil—the world's largest coffee producer—where vast, dry landscapes are well suited to sun-drying whole cherries. In recent years, producers in Central America, Colombia, and Southeast Asia have embraced natural processing as a way to create distinctive lots with added value.