Washed
also: wet process, fully washed
A process that removes the fruit and ferments off the sticky layer before drying, giving clean, bright cups.
Washed (or wet) processing removes the fruit from the coffee seed before drying. After picking, the skin and most pulp are stripped from the cherry by a depulper, then the beans, still coated in sticky mucilage, are fermented in tanks for a day or so and rinsed clean with water. Only then are the beans (still in their parchment) dried.
Why it matters: by clearing away the fruit early, washed processing lets the bean’s intrinsic character, shaped by variety, soil, and altitude, come through with little interference. The result is the cleanest, most transparent profile of the major methods.
In the cup, washed coffees taste bright and crisp, with clear acidity, a lighter to medium body, and a clean-cup free of the heavy fruit or ferment of other methods. This clarity makes washed coffees a favorite for showcasing origins like kenya and colombia. Compare with natural and honey, or read washed-vs-natural and the deeper washed-process guide.