Fresh field natural rubber was coagulated by acetic acid, soaked in water at room temperature (WRT) or 70°C (W70) for 1 hr, and then dried in an oven at 40°C. Non-soaked natural rubber samples (NoW) served as a control. Two grades of natural rubber, namely air-dry sheet (ADS) and ribbed smoked sheet No.3 (RSS3) derived from the same latex, were also investigated. All dry rubber samples were characterized with Lovibond colorimeter according to ASTM D3157, as well as with a HunterLab spectrophotometer. Furthermore, all the dry rubber samples were dissolved in a chloroform:methanol mixture (4:1 v:v). The rubber was then precipitated out of the solution with methanol, and the remaining solution was quantitatively analyzed for total phenolic content (TPC). The plasticity retention index (PRI) was determined for all the dried rubber samples according to ASTM D3194. It was found that WRT, W70 and ADS were similar in lightness L*, while RSS3 had the lowest L*. W70 had the lowest redness a*, which increased in the order WRT, NoW, RSS3 and ADS. W70 also had the lowest yellowness b*, which increased in the order RSS3, NoW and WRT and ADS. Moreover, TPC was the lowest for the W70 sample, increasing in the order ADS, WRT, NoW and RSS3. The PRI was highest for W70, and decreased in the order WRT, RSS3, NoW and ADS. All of the PRI values observed were comparatively high relative to blocked standard Thai rubber 20 (STR20).