What Is Natural Coffee?

Last updated July 12, 2026

Natural coffee, more precisely called natural process coffee, is coffee dried with the whole cherry still wrapped around the bean instead of removing the fruit first. As the cherry dries in the sun over two to four weeks, sugars from the fruit ferment into the seed, producing a heavier body and pronounced berry, dried-fruit, or wine-like notes. It is the oldest coffee processing method, still used across Ethiopia, Brazil, and Burundi, and it differs from washed coffee, where the fruit is stripped off before drying for a cleaner, brighter cup. Natural describes a processing method, not an ingredient claim: it does not mean a coffee is decaffeinated, organic, or free of additives. Buddha Beans sources single-origin natural process coffee, including its Burundi CBD Coffee, dried whole cherry in the Kayanza region for a blackberry and dark chocolate cup.

How Is Natural Process Coffee Made?

Ripe cherries are picked and sorted, and under-ripe or damaged fruit is removed.
Whole cherries go straight onto raised drying beds or patios, skin, pulp, and seed intact.
Cherries are turned by hand several times a day for two to four weeks so they dry evenly and do not mold.
As the fruit dries, its sugars and acids migrate into the seed, the source of the process's signature sweetness.
Once moisture content drops to about 10 to 12 percent, the dried husk is hulled away to reveal the green coffee bean.

How Does Natural Coffee Taste Compared to Washed Coffee?

Process	What happens to the fruit	Flavor signature	Body
Washed	Removed before drying	Clean, bright, transparent	Lighter
Natural	Left on, whole cherry dried	Jammy berry, dried fruit	Heavy, syrupy
Honey	Skin off, mucilage left on	Sweet, syrupy, in-between	Medium to full
Anaerobic	Sealed, oxygen-free ferment first	Boozy, tropical, wine-like	Full

Is Natural Coffee the Same as All-Natural or Organic Coffee?

No. "Natural process" is a coffee industry term for how the cherry is dried, not a claim about ingredients. It does not mean a coffee is organic, chemical-free, or unprocessed. Some shoppers searching "natural coffee" expect an "all-natural, no additives" claim; that is a separate, unregulated marketing phrase. Buddha Beans' natural process Burundi coffee is also infused with USDA organic hemp extract and lab tested, but organic certification and natural processing are two different attributes that happen to overlap in this bag. Check the label or Certificate of Analysis for organic and lab-testing claims rather than assuming "natural" covers them.

What Natural Process Coffee Does Buddha Beans Sell?

Buddha Beans currently sells one dedicated natural process single origin: Burundi CBD Coffee, Natural Process, sourced from the Kayanza region and dried whole cherry for a blackberry, dried cherry, and dark chocolate cup. Each 12oz bag carries 300mg of broad-spectrum CBD from USDA organic hemp, 0% THC, and a published Certificate of Analysis. Additional natural process and hybrid natural lots rotate through the Exotic Coffee Collection as harvests allow.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is natural coffee?

Natural coffee, or natural process coffee, is coffee dried with the whole cherry still on the bean instead of removing the fruit first. The fruit's sugars ferment into the seed during two to four weeks of drying, producing a heavier body and berry or dried-fruit flavor notes not found in washed coffee.

Is natural coffee the same as organic coffee?

No. Natural process describes how the cherry is dried, not whether a coffee is organic or additive-free. A coffee can be natural process without being organic, or organic without being natural process. Check the product label or Certificate of Analysis for organic and lab-testing claims separately.

Does natural process coffee have more caffeine?

No. Processing method does not change a coffee's caffeine content. Caffeine level depends mainly on the bean species, Arabica versus Robusta, and roast, not on whether the cherry was washed, natural, honey, or anaerobic processed.

How long does natural process coffee take to dry?

Whole cherries typically dry for two to four weeks on raised beds or patios, turned several times a day so they dry evenly. Drying stops once the cherry's moisture content reaches about 10 to 12 percent, at which point the dried husk is hulled away to reveal the green coffee bean.

Does Buddha Beans sell natural process coffee?

Yes. Buddha Beans' Burundi CBD Coffee, Natural Process is a single-origin natural process coffee from the Kayanza region in Burundi, infused with 300mg of broad-spectrum CBD per 12oz bag. It has blackberry, dried cherry, and dark chocolate notes with a full, syrupy body.