Every coffee we roast at Pattern is naturally processed. That's not a coincidence, it's a deliberate choice, and it shapes everything about how our coffees taste. Here's what that actually means, in plain language.
The short version
Coffee is a fruit. Inside the cherry is the seed we call a coffee bean. Natural processing means that after harvest, the whole cherry - fruit intact, is spread out on raised drying beds and left to dry in the sun. Slowly. For weeks. The fruit ferments around the seed as it dries and the sugars from the fruit migrate into the bean.
The result? Coffee that tastes sweeter, fruitier and more complex than its washed counterparts. You're not just tasting the bean - you're tasting the whole cherry.
What it means in the cup
Natural coffees tend to have lower acidity, higher sweetness and a heavier, more luscious body. The flavour notes skew towards dried fruit, berries, chocolate and in the case of our Colombia lot Chocoberry - strawberry jam and dark cacao.
This is why Chocoberry tastes the way it does. The strawberry jam note isn't added. It's not an accident. It's the direct result of careful natural processing at origin and the specific Castillo, Caturra and Colombia varietals we chose.
What makes it harder to get right
Natural processing is riskier than washed processing. If the drying conditions aren't controlled perfectly - too much moisture, too much heat, inconsistent turning of the cherries - you can get fermentation defects, musty flavours, or inconsistent cup quality. This is why we source only from producers with the infrastructure and expertise to do it properly.
Our Sierra Nevada lots are dried at altitude, in ideal conditions, by producers who have been doing this for decades. That's the difference between a natural coffee that tastes of fruit and one that tastes of compost.
The Pattern choice
We lead with natural process coffees because we believe in flavour that requires no explanation. You don't need to know what natural processing is to enjoy Chocoberry. But knowing it makes the cup more interesting and that's what specialty coffee is really about.
Try both of our current naturals — Chocoberry (strawberry jam, dark cacao) and Winter Scoop (vanilla, rum, raisins) — or subscribe and get both delivered on rotation.
