Natural
Also called Dry process, Sun-dried
Whole cherries dry in the sun, giving fruity, winey, heavy-bodied coffee.
- Fruit removed
- After drying
- Water
- Very low
- Drying time
- 3–6 weeks
- Typical flavour
- Fruity, sweet, heavy
About
The oldest method, still traditional in Ethiopia, Yemen and Brazil. Sugars from the drying fruit seem to carry into the seed. Done badly it tastes fermented; done well it is explosively fruity.
From Wikipedia
Coffee production is the industrial process of converting the raw fruit (the coffee cherry) of the coffee plant into finished coffee beans. About eight months after coffee cherries appear on a coffee plant, the cherries are harvested either by hand or by machine. Then they are, depending on the method, pulped and then dried or simply set out to dry. After this, the beans are stripped of their remaining dry skin and fruit residue. Once they are cleaned, sorted, and graded, they are suitable for distribution. While all green coffee, produced from immature coffee beans, is processed, the method that is used to process coffee varies, and significantly affects the flavor of coffee once it is roasted and brewed. Coffee production is a major source of income for 12.5 million households, most in developing countries.
Text from the Wikipedia article Coffee production by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0.