What Is Washed Process Coffee?

Washed process coffee — also called wet process — is the most common processing method in specialty coffee. It produces cups that are clean, bright, and precise — coffees where the origin character comes through clearly without the fruit influence of natural processing. If you've tasted a coffee with exceptional clarity and a clean, vibrant finish, it was likely washed.

How Washed Processing Works

After coffee cherries are harvested, the outer fruit skin is removed using a depulping machine. The bean is then fermented in water tanks for 12–72 hours to break down the remaining mucilage (the sticky layer between the fruit and the parchment). After fermentation, the beans are washed with clean water to remove all remaining fruit material, then dried on raised beds or patios until they reach the right moisture content.

The result is a bean that has been thoroughly cleaned of fruit influence before drying. What you taste in the cup is the bean itself — the terroir, the varietal, the altitude, the soil — without the sweetness and complexity that fruit fermentation adds in natural processing.

What Washed Coffee Tastes Like

Washed coffees are known for:

• Clarity — the flavors are clean and precise, without the muddiness that can come from natural processing
• Bright acidity — washed coffees tend to be more acidic than naturals, with a vibrant, citrus-like brightness
• Floral and tea-like notes — particularly in Ethiopian washed coffees
• Clean finish — no lingering fruit sweetness, just the pure character of the bean
• Terroir expression — washed processing lets the origin character come through more clearly than any other method

Washed vs. Natural: Which Is Better?

Neither is better — they're different. Washed processing produces clarity and precision. Natural processing produces sweetness and complexity. The right choice depends on what you're looking for in the cup.

For people who want to understand what a specific origin tastes like — what makes Ethiopian coffee different from Colombian coffee — washed processing is the clearest window. The fruit influence of natural processing adds a layer that can obscure the origin character.

For people who want maximum sweetness and fruit complexity, natural processing delivers that in a way washed processing can't. Explore both styles in our single-origin collection.

Where Washed Coffee Comes From

Washed processing is used worldwide, but it's most associated with:

• Ethiopia (washed) — Yirgacheffe washed coffees are among the most celebrated in the world — floral, tea-like, and exceptionally clean
• Kenya — almost all Kenyan specialty coffee is washed, contributing to its distinctive brightness and clarity
• Colombia — most Colombian coffee is washed, producing the clean, balanced character the origin is known for. Find it in our Smooth & Balanced collection.
• Guatemala — washed processing highlights Guatemala's brown sugar sweetness and clean finish

Our Washed Coffees

Most of our single-origin lineup is washed — Colombia, Kenya, Guatemala, and Mexico are all washed process. Each one showcases the clarity and origin character that washed processing is known for.

Our Ethiopia Natural is the exception — a natural process coffee that shows you what the same origin tastes like with fruit influence. Tasting them side by side is one of the most educational experiences in specialty coffee. Our sample packs make that comparison easy.

Browse our single origin coffees — washed and natural, roasted fresh to order.