how to wash coffee

If you are a professional barista, a roaster, or a producer, then there are so many wonderful sources from which you can get a comprehensive guide of how to work with washed coffee throughout the production chain. This post is intended to document my own experience with washed coffee as a consumer, thereby helping other consumers to better understand the process and navigate through their own experience with washed process coffees.

A Consumer’s Guide to the Washed Process Coffee

how do you “wash” a coffee?

Oftentimes, us coffee nerds speak of different beans as “natural”, “washed”, or “honey” processed. These terms can be rather puzzling, giving rise to some creative questions that I’ve had the privilege of being on the receiving end.

How can coffee not be natural, when it is literally a plant?
Can you process coffee with honey?
How do you “wash” coffee, and does it make the bean cleaner?

While intriguing, these questions stem from a fundamental misunderstanding of what coffee is. Coffee beans, as we know them, are seeds of a small berry – called “coffee cherry” – that has been taken out of the fruit to be roasted. Sounds like a long process, doesn’t it? “Natural”, “washed”, and “honey” are in fact names of these processes through which separate the bean from the fruit to get the final product we want.

Let’s begin with some simple biology. A coffee cherry consists of approximately five layers: skin (epicarp), pulp (mesocarp), parchment (endocarp), silverskin (integument), and bean (endosperm). Just think of any other berry; there should be a thin skin, surrounding a slimy and sticky layer of fruit pulp. Then there is the seed, which in case of the coffee cherry, surrounded by two thin layers respectively called parchment and silverskin.

A washed process typically removes the skin and the mucilage, leaving behind the parchment and silverskin surrounding the bean. It is called a “washed” process because we use water to remove those outer layers of the fruit. Typically, most of the fruit layers are washed away before the beans are moved to the drying bed to reach the desired moisture content. On the other hand, the natural process leaves most of the fruit part intact when the beans are dried.

I could go into further details of washed process, but I simply won’t. In my opinion, “washed process” is more of an umbrella term that refers to a group of similar yet different processes that use water to remove the fruit layers of coffee cherry. So as a consumer, once you get the basic gist of the process, you are good to go. And I honestly think that the already delicious taste of my washed process coffee would suddenly improve by a noticeable degree even if I learn about all the intricate details of the washed process. But if you are interested, check out these two articles.

what should i expect from a washed coffee?

As an amateur coffee connoisseur and a professional caffeine addict, I believe the process labels like “washed” and “natural” hold more value as an informative indicator for a possible experience a consumer of the drink is likely to have. When your local coffee shops give their coffee beans fancy names like “Ethiopia Guji Uraga Washed”, they are not trying to be a show-off; they are simply trying to give you as much information as possible about what you should expect from their cup of coffee.

So the big question awaits – what should you expect from a typical washed process coffee? Some popular answers are “sparkling acidity”, “bright fruity notes”, and “clarity of cup”. While I agree with all these answers, I find them quite vague and puzzling to grasp when it comes to understanding what washed coffee actually feels like. I know that I am by no means the expert here, but I will try to carefully articulate those popular responds by looking into my personal experience with washed coffees.

What coffee professionals mean by “sparkling acidity”, I presume, is that the acidity of washed coffees is often very clean and refreshing. When I drink natural process coffees, I often expect the acidity to be bold, piercing, and straightforward. They often taste like berries, stone fruit, or citrus. A lot of people enjoy this characteristic acidity of natural coffees, but some people – count me in – sometimes find them somewhat messy and overstimulating. On the other hand, washed coffees tend to possess a milder, more herbal acidity that resembles that of a sparkling water or wine. I also find their acidity less aggressive but more round and balanced.

Washed coffees also have bright fruity notes. However, I must advise we proceed with care when it comes to fruity notes in coffee. Coffee is itself a fruit, so it is only natural that its seed takes after its fruity flavours. Thus most coffee, whether it is natural or washed process, tend to come with some bright, lovely notes of fruit. What really distinguishes washed process from other process, in my opinion, is the subtlety of its fruity notes. The fruity notes of natural process coffees have this zesty freshness to them; like a freshly squeezed orange juice. The fruit flavours in washed coffees tend to be rounder in mouthfeel, providing a taste experience akin to a homemade blueberry jam stewed for hours on the stove top.

“Clarity of cup” is another coffee jargon that easily intimidates readers. However, it simply means that in washed coffees, each individual notes are presented with more clarity so that you are able to better identify them. Since the acidity and the fruitiness of washed coffees are typically milder and rounder compared to those of natural coffees, the former provides a well-balanced cup where each flavour gets enough space to shine.

However, when I think of a nicely brewed cup of washed coffee, I think of slightly different keywords: well-balanced, tea-like, and mildly sweet. My ideal cup of washed process coffee is a perfectly balanced brew characterized by a subtle sweet finish, where all the flavours are presented delicately as in a quality cup of green tea.

my favorite cup of washed coffee?

It is physically impossible for me to pin down a single favorite cup of washed coffee. I am certainly biased towards the washed process, and most of my preferred cups are of washed process. Still, I would be able to present a representative example of what I think is a ideally crafted washed coffee.

It was a Colombian Pink Bourbon washed coffee, roasted by Prodigal Coffee and brewed by my favorite local barista. On the nose, it smelled so sweet that it made my tastebuds flutter in anticipation. Its alluringly sweet scent of apricot, cream, and honey was a perfect prelude to the first sip, which came in with a tea-like delicacy. Then followed the round, balanced notes of sweet honey, stone fruit, and citrus. Its acidity was skillfully rounded out, providing a much-needed refreshment to the heavy sweetness of the cup. I could feel the silky texture of coffee gently pressing down on my tongue, disappearing into my throat with a long-lasting aftertaste of herb and fruit.

In the end, I believe it is the overall balance of flavour, sweetness, acidity, and mouthfeel that creates a delicious washed coffee. When it comes to natural process or other trendy, experimental processes like lactic acid or carbon maceration, I gladly allow myself to explore the unique combination of intense flavours – even if the whole cup is a little off-balance. But washed coffees are different for me. They are all about the balance, the subtlety, and the harmony of different components that are flawlessly tuned to compliment one another.

finding your cup of washed coffee

If I managed to hold your attention for this long, now you would surely be interested in trying some washed coffee for yourself. But what should you do? How can you find a nice washed coffee that suits your preference?

I advise you to follow these simple instructions:

Go to your favorite local coffee shop. (preferably one that serves specialty coffee)
If you have already have a preference, pick a washed coffee that suits your preference for flavour profiles, mouthfeel, aftertaste, etc.
If you do not have any preferences, ask the barista what their favorite cup of washed coffee is.
After you try a cup of washed coffee, find and try another bean of similar region or variety that is processed in a different method. Compare the differences.
REPEAT.

want more?

If you want more of these contents on different coffee process, please let me know in the comments. I will be back soon with another piece.

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