Processing

Washed coffee processing

Washed processing generally removes the fruit from the coffee seed before drying, using mechanical removal and, in many traditional systems, fermentation and washing to remove remaining mucilage.

Typical sequence

Harvest and sort ripe cherries.
Remove the outer fruit mechanically.
Use fermentation and/or mechanical methods to remove mucilage.
Wash or otherwise clean the coffee.
Dry the parchment coffee to a stable moisture level.
Hull and grade the dried coffee before export or roasting.

Processes vary

Not every washed coffee follows exactly the same sequence. Modern wet mills may use mechanical demucilaging, controlled fermentation or other techniques. “Washed” therefore describes a broad processing family rather than one identical recipe.

Cup characteristics

Washed coffees are often associated with clarity and pronounced expression of variety and growing environment, but processing is only one of many factors affecting flavour.

Accuracy note: Coffee terminology and recommended brewing parameters can vary by producer, roaster, equipment and recipe. Where a term is not universally standardised, this site says so rather than presenting one convention as a rule.