Washed Green Coffee Beans

Ripe cherries are depulped, then the sticky mucilage is broken down by fermentation – in tanks, with or without water, usually for 12 to 72 hours – or stripped off mechanically. The parchment coffee is washed, then dried on patios, raised beds or mechanical dryers to around 10–12% moisture. Producers vary the recipe: Kenyan stations often ferment twice with a soak in between, and many of our Peruvian and Colombian lots add anaerobic or extended stages before washing. For the full step-by-step, read our guide to washed coffee.

Washed lots are usually dense and even in size and moisture, so they take energy well and respond predictably to changes in charge temperature and airflow. They suit lighter roasts where acidity and aromatics lead, but underdevelop them and the cup turns grassy and sour – give enough development after first crack to round out the sweetness. Very dense, high-grown lots from Kenya, Colombia and Peru can take a more assertive start than lower-grown Central American or Asian lots. Follow your rate of rise through first crack rather than relying on time alone.

Washing removes the fruit before drying, so the cup is cleaner and more transparent than a natural or honey lot from the same farm: less body and fruit sweetness, more clarity and defined acidity. That's why washed coffees are the default for showing off origin and the backbone of many espresso blends. Lots in this range with extra fermentation steps – anaerobic, extended or thermal shock – sit somewhere between: still clean, but with more fruit-forward, winey notes.

Most of our washed lots come from Colombia, Peru, Kenya, Rwanda, Guatemala and Mexico, with smaller lots from Zambia, Timor-Leste, Burundi and beyond. Kenyan washed lots bring blackcurrant and bright acidity; Colombian and Peruvian lots range from chocolate-and-caramel staples to complex microlots; Rwandan lots are often floral with red fruit. Stock rotates with the harvests, so use the filters above to narrow by origin, variety or flavour.