Natural coffee, traditionally, is the first to be made by coffee producers, given its ease of processing.
Widely used in Brazil, and in other countries with a hot climate, the beans are spread with the husk on patios (or suspended terraces) and turned over several times so that the drying process is uniform.
But the step-by-step process demands more care.
For the harvest to take place, the producer first selects the areas of the farm where the grains are already more mature and have a higher degree of sweetness (brix).
In our region, harvesting can happen selectively or semi-manually, with the use of brush cutters, which are stems that shake and help to speed up the process.
After that, the beans are taken to the post-harvest area, where they are washed to prevent any type of negative fermentation that could happen and also to eliminate dust and impurities.
The beans then go through the washing process, where the beans that are not ripe or that have passed the points are separated, which guarantees a cleaner and more homogeneous drink in the cup. In addition to the separation by the density of the fruits carried out in the washer, the coffees can pass through a rotating sieve (“sieve”) to separate any possible immature and small theft that has managed to escape the washer.
The grains are then placed to dry, always evaluating the temperature and humidity so that they can leave the yard at the right point.
Depending on the field's quality history, lot size and producer's availability of resources, some lots can be dried on a suspended terrace or in greenhouses with UV protection. Photos of suspended terreiros and the Irmãs Pereira greenhouse.
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