Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Stephen Curtis on November 15, 2009 at 1:45pm

I like it. Had a Mexican Natural that was good. They just just have to be careful in the more humid climates.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Joe Marrocco on November 15, 2009 at 3:26pm

I like naturals if they are done well. They are so risky though. Roasting them is interesting as well. I am a huge fan of pulp natarual coffees though!! Far fewer processing deffects. Really the best of washed and dried combined.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Al Soto on November 15, 2009 at 7:00pm

Ethiopian Moka Stag is my number 1 seller at my shop. Great berry taste and I say chocolate as well. I use it to demonstrate how light roasting is so different from the typical dark roast that you find in most coffee shops.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mike Benis on November 16, 2009 at 12:49pm

I don't have an opinion. It depends on the beans and how the process is done, which also depends on what sort of gear they can afford to buy and maintain. There's an interesting but somewhat longwinded document about it in the description of an Ethiopian wild bean offered by my favourite UK roaster, Londinium: http://londiniumespresso.com/products/ethiopian-bale-wild-forest-gr... The direct link to the PDF on that page is: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0003/1621/files/Sustainable_forest...

That said, the good Ethiopians are in my view some of the very best coffees in the world, though recent government interventions haven't helped with sourcing and supply.

Ditto Yemeni naturals, though I prefer the former.

When they're good they're brilliant - tons going on in the cup - and when they're bad, well they can be dire!

Cheers

Mike

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Joe Marrocco on November 16, 2009 at 8:07pm

I agree with Mike. The problem is that a huge portion of naturals are really bad. We are typically exposed to the ones that are super high quality. We also cannot leave out the huge portions of Brazilian coffees that are natural processed. I find a lot of these to have less defects. Yet, they usually do not have that berry note that the Ethiopias are known for.

What I find to be the biggest benefit that natural coffees bring to the table is what Mike just hit on. Customers love them. When a person who has not been exposed to much specialty coffee gets a hold of a finely processed natural, it really does blow their minds. When they can pick out that berry or stone fruit note, or taste the wine note blatantly and boldly it is truly a moment of enlightenment. With every cupping that a newby attends I find myself talking with them after about their experience with the naturals. We owe a lot to this processing methods. It gives us a point of reference or an introduction that bridges the gap with people who may otherwise never appreciate what we do with coffee.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Laura Heyda on November 17, 2009 at 9:09am

Natural process coffee was my first "wow" moment in coffee. Up until I had some sun-dried Biloya, I had been drinking coffee with cream and sugar (that's just how I was brought up y'all). But when I put creamer in this coffee, I thought my cream had gone bad, lol. It smelled off, but it wasn't curdled. It took me some time, but I finally realized that it was the natural process coffee's smell that I was confusing for rotten cream. So I tried it black and fell in love. Then I started drinking all my coffee black - so it all started with natural process for me.
I've never had a defective natural process coffee so I have no feedback for you there.
The naturals that I've had from Central America are disappointing compared to Ethiopia, don't have the same strong berry taste, more wine-like, but still wonderful. Would love to try some more - kudos to DoubleShot.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Tyler Stevens on November 17, 2009 at 9:31pm

"What if I told you that you were really drinking Decaf Columbian Coffee Crystals?"

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Al Soto on November 18, 2009 at 9:52am

I will be out of Ethiopian Moka Stag until probably January.

Mike Benis said:

I don't have an opinion. It depends on the beans and how the process is done, which also depends on what sort of gear they can afford to buy and maintain. There's an interesting but somewhat longwinded document about it in the description of an Ethiopian wild bean offered by my favourite UK roaster, Londinium: http://londiniumespresso.com/products/ethiopian-bale-wild-forest-gr... The direct link to the PDF on that page is: http://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0003/1621/files/Sustainable_forest...

That said, the good Ethiopians are in my view some of the very best coffees in the world, though recent government interventions haven't helped with sourcing and supply.

Ditto Yemeni naturals, though I prefer the former.

When they're good they're brilliant - tons going on in the cup - and when they're bad, well they can be dire!

Cheers

Mike

• ▶ Reply

▶ Reply to Discussion