What is the Kenyan double washing process?

Kenyan double washing - sometimes called the 72-hour process - is a traditional washed method that includes two separate fermentation and washing stages rather than one. It's one of the factors behind the exceptional clarity and brightness associated with Kenya's best lots.

In the first stage, depulped coffee ferments in tanks for around 24–36 hours. After washing, instead of going straight to drying, the coffee undergoes a second extended soak in fresh clean water for 12–24 hours before a final rinse and move to raised beds.

The additional soaking is thought to further remove fermentation by-products and ensure the beans are extremely clean before drying. The result is the characteristic brightness, citric clarity, and clean sweetness that makes top Kenyan washed coffees from Nyeri, Kirinyaga, and Murang'a so distinctive. The process uses significantly more water than standard washed processing, which is why it's practiced primarily at well-equipped centralised factories.