Washed Process: The Clean & Elegant Cup

For the purists. The washed process is all about clarity of flavor. By removing the cherry fruit before drying, the bean’s true terroir shines through. Expect bright acidity, a tea-like body, and crisp notes of citrus or jasmine. If you love a transparent, elegant brew that wakes up your palate, this is your collection.

Red coffee berries being sorted on a table with people in the background

Washed Process: The Clean & Elegant Cup

Washed process specialty coffee: clean, floral, citrusy and tea-like. The elegant side of coffee, from Ethiopia and Kenya to Rwanda.

  • Colorful CoffeeLab bag Brewlab Candy Filter with pink and cream cartoon background and a white bunny with a mask and colorful clothes in the foreground
    Filter Coffee

    COFFEELAB - Brewlab Candy - Filter - 500g

    COFFEELAB - Brewlab Candy - Filter - 500g

    Roasted:
  • Colorful CoffeeLab bag Brewlab Fruity Filter with green and yellow cartoon background and a white bunny with a mask and colorful clothes in the foreground
    Filter Coffee

    COFFEELAB - Brewlab Fruity - Filter - 500g

    COFFEELAB - Brewlab Fruity - Filter - 500g

    Roasted:
  • Colorful CoffeeLab bag Brewlab Floral Filter with green and purple cartoon background and a white bunny with a mask and colorful clothes in the foreground
    Filter Coffee

    COFFEELAB - Brewlab Floral - Filter - 500g

    COFFEELAB - Brewlab Floral - Filter - 500g

    Roasted:
  • Specialty coffee beans – HAYB Sie Przelewa Owoc, 250g – front of packaging
    Filter Coffee

    HAYB - Sie Przelewa Fruit - Filter - 250g

    HAYB - Sie Przelewa Fruit - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • Yellow and white box of DAK Coffee Roasters Colombia Lemon Spritz Filter Whole Beans with gold on green drawing of a person
    Filter Coffee

    DAK Coffee Roasters - Lemon Spritz - Filter - 200g

    DAK Coffee Roasters - Lemon Spritz - Filter - 200g

    Roasted:
  • Pink coffee bag with a peace sign and 'HAYB' branding on a white background
    Filter Coffee

    HAYB - Sie Przelewa Bloom - Filter - 250g

    HAYB - Sie Przelewa Bloom - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • CoffeeLab Gwatemala Huehuetenango packaging with colorful gradient background
    Espresso Coffee

    COFFEELAB - Guatemala Huehuetenango - Espresso - 250g

    COFFEELAB - Guatemala Huehuetenango - Espresso - 250g

    Roasted:
  • A dark red cylindrical jar with a black lid featuring a 'Heresy' logo and a colorful 'Bukure Women's Coop' top label.
    Filter Coffee

    Heresy - Bukure Women's Coop Rwanda - Filter - 252g

    Heresy - Bukure Women's Coop Rwanda - Filter - 252g

    Roasted:
  • White Coffee Plant bag Flow Juicy Fruit Filter coffee with large orange hourglass label
    Filter Coffee

    COFFEE PLANT - FLOW Juicy Fruit - Filter - 250g

    COFFEE PLANT - FLOW Juicy Fruit - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • COFFEELAB Columbia Medellin packaging with colorful gradient background
    Espresso Coffee

    COFFEELAB - Colombia Medellin - Espresso - 250g

    COFFEELAB - Colombia Medellin - Espresso - 250g

    Roasted:
  • White Nomad Coffee bag Peru Churupallana Filter 250g with large blue F.PE.CHU text
    Filter Coffee

    Nomad Coffee - F. PE. CHU - Churupallana Peru - Filter - 250g

    Nomad Coffee - F. PE. CHU - Churupallana Peru - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • White Coffee Plant bag Honduras Marcala Espresso with large yellow label
    Espresso Coffee

    COFFEE PLANT - Honduras Marcala - Espresso - 250g

    COFFEE PLANT - Honduras Marcala - Espresso - 250g

    Roasted:
  • Specialty coffee beans –HAYB Guatemala Espresso, 250g – front of packaging
    Espresso Coffee

    HAYB - Guatemala Espresso - 250g

    HAYB - Guatemala Espresso - 250g

    Roasted:
  • Packaged coffee with 'HAKUNA MATATA' and 'SPOJKA ROASTERY' branding on a gradient background
    Filter Coffee

    Spojka - Hakuna Matata - Filter - 200g

    Spojka - Hakuna Matata - Filter - 200g

    Roasted:
  • Coffee package with 'Coffee Plant Flow Blossom" branding and an orange label on a white background
    Filter Coffee

    COFFEE PLANT - FLOW Blossom - Filter - 250g

    COFFEE PLANT - FLOW Blossom - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • Coffee bag with HAYB mexico el buho branding on a white background
    Espresso Coffee

    HAYB - Mexico El Buho Espresso - 250g

    HAYB - Mexico El Buho Espresso - 250g

    Roasted:
  • Specialty coffee beans – HAYB Peru Espresso, 250g – front of packaging
    Espresso Coffee

    HAYB - Peru Espresso - 250g

    HAYB - Peru Espresso - 250g

    Roasted:
  • A 250g bag of Rwanda Nyamurinda coffee. The bag features a blue and white topographic map design with a vibrant orange and yellow gradient label listing notes of apricot, caramel, and mandarin.
    Filter Coffee

    GRINGO - Rwanda Nyamurinda - Filter - 250g

    GRINGO - Rwanda Nyamurinda - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • A dark red cylindrical jar with a black lid featuring a 'Heresy' logo and a yellow 'Ethiopia Gotiti' top label.
    Filter Coffee

    Heresy - Gotiti Ethiopia - Filter - 252g

    Heresy - Gotiti Ethiopia - Filter - 252g

    Roasted:
  • White Nomad Coffee bag Peru Timbuyacu Espresso 250g with large blue E. PR.TIMB text
    Espresso Coffee

    Nomad Coffee - E. PE. TIMB - Timbuyacu Peru - Espresso - 250g

    Nomad Coffee - E. PE. TIMB - Timbuyacu Peru - Espresso - 250g

    Roasted:
  • White Nomad Coffee bag Burundi Nemba Filter 250g with large blue F.BU.NEM text
    Filter Coffee

    Nomad Coffee - F. BU. NEM - Nemba Burundi - Filter - 250g

    Nomad Coffee - F. BU. NEM - Nemba Burundi - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • COFFEELAB Uganda Mount Elgon packaging with colorful gradient background
    Espresso Coffee

    COFFEELAB - Uganda Mount Elgon - Espresso - 250g

    COFFEELAB - Uganda Mount Elgon - Espresso - 250g

    Roasted:
  • White box of DAK Coffee Roasters Rhubarb Fizz Filter Whole Beans with black on white drawing of a person
    Filter Coffee

    DAK Coffee Roasters - Rhubarb Fizz - Filter - 250g

    DAK Coffee Roasters - Rhubarb Fizz - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • White Nomad Coffee bag Kenia KII #2 Filter 250g with large blue F.KE.KII#2 text
    Filter Coffee

    Nomad Coffee - F. KE. KII2 - KII#2 Kenia - Filter - 250g

    Nomad Coffee - F. KE. KII2 - KII#2 Kenia - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • Beige CoffeeLab bag Tanzania Itumpi PB with large white LAB text and pink sticker
    Filter Coffee

    COFFEELAB - Tanzania Itumpi PB - Filter - 250g

    COFFEELAB - Tanzania Itumpi PB - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • Spojka Roastery coffee package with gradient design and visible branding on a white background
    Filter Coffee

    Spojka - Condor - Colombia - Filter - 200g

    Spojka - Condor - Colombia - Filter - 200g

    Roasted:
  • A bright pink coffee bag for "Sleepy" Decaf Single Origin by Gringo Nordic Coffee Roasters. It features a whimsical illustration of a white sheep holding a red coffee cup.
    Filter Coffee

    GRINGO - Sleepy Gringo Decaf - Filter - 250g

    GRINGO - Sleepy Gringo Decaf - Filter - 250g

    Roasted:
  • White Coffee Plant bag Kolumbia Finca Los Robles Espresso with large yellow label
    Espresso Coffee

    COFFEE PLANT - Colombia Finca Los Robles - Espresso - 250g

    COFFEE PLANT - Colombia Finca Los Robles - Espresso - 250g

    Roasted:

Washed Coffee Beans: Why the Cup Tastes So Clean

Looking for washed coffee? In the washed process the fruit is removed before drying, so the bean's own character takes center stage: clean, floral, citrusy and tea-like, with a light to medium body. It is the style behind many classic Ethiopian, Kenyan and Colombian cups.

Without the fruit on the bean, you taste the farm, the variety and the altitude more than the processing. Want to compare methods? See our processing guide.

Clarity in the Cup

Washed coffees taste crisp and transparent. Floral from our partners at COFFEELAB brings jasmine and tea-like elegance from Ethiopia, and Bloom from HAYB adds black tea, Earl Grey and honey sweetness. Both are light roasts that shine in a V60 or Chemex.

For a juicier option, Juicy Fruit from COFFEE PLANT is a washed blend from Ethiopia and Uganda with stone fruit and bright citrus.

Washed Kenya and Rwanda

Bright, juicy washed lots are a specialty of East Africa. Fruity is a Kenyan SL28 and SL34 lot with citric brightness, and Fruit from our partners at HAYB is a washed Rwandan light roast with nectarine and zesty sweetness.

South America does washed beautifully too. Candy from COFFEELAB blends Colombia and Peru into a jammy, sugar-forward cup, and HAYB Colombia is a washed Cauca espresso with orange and apricot jam sweetness.

What is washed coffee?

Washed (or wet process) coffee has the fruit removed from the bean before drying. The result is a clean, bright cup where the origin's floral and citrus notes stand out. Because the fruit is gone before drying, there is less fruity sweetness from fermentation and more clarity from the bean itself.

Is washed coffee better than natural?

Neither is better, they are different styles. Washed brings clarity and elegance, natural brings sweetness and body. If you love tea-like cups and delicate florals, washed is your style. To taste both, compare with our natural process coffees, ideally brewed the same way. Many drinkers end up keeping one of each style at home and choosing by mood.

What does washed coffee taste like?

Typically floral, citrusy and tea-like, with crisp acidity and a light to medium body. Colombian washed lots add caramel and milk chocolate, Kenyan lots add blackcurrant, and Ethiopian lots add jasmine and bergamot-like notes. The origin and roast level change the picture, so read the tasting notes on each bag.

Which brewer is best for washed coffee?

Filter brewers keep the clarity: V60, Chemex or Clever Dripper. Paper filters trap oils, so the cup stays clean and crisp. Washed espresso roasts exist too, such as Colombian and Guatemalan lots, and they make sweet, balanced shots with milk chocolate and fruit. Pour in slow circles and give the bed a gentle swirl at the end for an even extraction.