The original process of a coffee is named natural process. The coffee cherries are being dried with the beans inside. The beans are dried with all of their layers intact, including the coffee cherry and mucilage.
The coffee cherry is picked once it ripens on the branch. Mature coffee cherries can be found in red, yellow and orange pigmentation. In some coffee regions, such as southern Ethiopia, coffee cherries are picked at the same point of maturation as washed and semi-washed/honey/pulped natural coffees and brought to dry on patios or raised drying beds. Coffee beans are dried intact with all of their layers in this process including the coffee cherry and mucilage. The coffee cherry and mucilage are composed of sugars and alcohols, which play a role in the sweetness, acidity and overall flavor profile of the coffee. The fruit is a closed environment, which encourages natural fermentation helping create the final flavor profile. The fruit dries onto the parchment that surrounds the seeds. The coffee beans are left to rest inside the cherry pods before being peeled (hulled) and prepared for shipment. At this stage the cherry is the texture of fruit leather. The result is the dense heavy body and exotic, wild berry flavors that have become synonymous with natural processed coffees. However, the cup profiles of natural processed coffees can be inconsistent, so an intense analysis on the cupping table and in the lab is integral during the selection process.
Naturally processed coffees typically have heavier mouthfeel, lower acidity levels and intense, exotic flavor profiles.
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