Dries coffee on elevated mesh beds that let air move through and beneath the layer, drying more evenly than a patio.
Raised bed drying lifts coffee off the ground onto mesh or loose-weave beds, so air moves beneath and through the layer and drying is more even. The beds are about waist height, which one source says makes turning and defect inspection easier. Also called African beds, they are described as standard infrastructure at specialty washing stations across East Africa and Central America and increasingly elsewhere.
How it worksCoffee dries on mesh or loose-weave beds lifted off the ground, letting air circulate on more of the coffee's surface and drying it more evenly.
Step by step
- 01
Spread coffee on the raised mesh bed.
- 02
Turn it regularly for even moisture loss.
Our notes on Raised Bed Drying are still being checked against their sources, so for now this page shows only the facts we can stand behind.
Sources · 3 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-09-30.
- Raw Materials: The Ins and Outs of Drying Coffee · Merit Coffee
- Raised Drying Beds in Coffee: How They Work · Green Coffee Collective
- Coffee Drying Methods Explained: A Guide to Traditional and Mechanical Driers · DR Wakefield