Washed / Wet Process Coffees

An Explanation of the Washed or Wet Coffee Processing Method

A washed bean has the pulp completely removed before it is dried. This is typically done with a mixture of water and a de-pulping machine. It is a very good process that does not add a lot of variability to the bean. Meaning, it has a higher likelihood everything will go correctly and the harvest will produce great fruit. I think because this is such a common method it gets a stigma for not being as good. This is completely untrue. Washed coffees consistently score very well all over the world.

The way a washed coffee tastes has a lot to do with this method. You tend to get more of the flavors unique to that origin in the beans. It almost always produces a brighter and cleaner cup of coffee. In a Latin American coffee, a washed bean is going to show more of the caramel or nuttiness so prevalent in that region.

Shop for our wet processing coffee beans below:

Sagebrush Coffee package of Jairo Ruiz specialty coffee beans with a dark orange background

Colombia

Jairo Ruiz • Washed-Processed Gesha

From $31.90

Sagebrush Coffee package of Carlos Castro specialty coffee beans with a purple background

Costa Rica

Carlos Castro • Washed-Processed Catuai

From $27.37

Sagebrush Coffee package of Rodin Villatoro specialty coffee beans with a red background

Guatemala

Rodin Villatoro • Washed-Processed Bourbon, Caturra Villaure Especial Lot

From $31.77

Guatemala

Rodin Villatoro • Washed-Processed Bourbon, Caturra Alaska Lot

From $43.57

Sagebrush Coffee package of Paola and Carlos Trujillo specialty coffee beans with a dark orange background

Colombia

Paola & Carlos Trujillo • Washed-Processed Pink Bourbon

From $29.97

Kenya

Rungeto Farmers Coop • Washed-Processed Peaberry

From $30.87

Sagebrush Coffee package of Sambewe specialty coffee beans with a green background

Tanzania

Sambewe AMCOS • Washed-Processed Bourbon & Heirloom

From $27.62

Sagebrush Coffee package of Chiapas Producers specialty coffee beans with a red background

Mexico

Chiapas Producers • Decaffeinated Caturra, Typica and other Washed Varieties

From $31.76

Ethiopia

Morkata Gata • Washed-Processed Guji Heirloom

From $30.00

Colombia

Gildardo Perdomo Rodriguez • Washed-Processed Gesha

From $32.56

Panama

Eugene Altieri • Washed-Processed Gesha

From $38.65

The Coffee Journey

Explore all that goes into your morning cup

Bag of red and green coffee cherries on a white background

Variety

Coffee Varieties Guide

Like apples, coffee has thousands of varieties with unique flavors. Explore Arabica cultivars from Gesha to Bourbon and how genetics shape your perfect cup.

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Multiple houses amongst a specialty coffee farm

Origin

Coffee Terroir Guide

Origin is one of three pillars determining coffee's taste, alongside roasting and brewing. From variety selection to elevation, processing to country culture, every decision at origin shapes your cup. Here's how terroir transforms seeds into distinctive flavors.

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Processing

Coffee Processing Guide

How specialty coffee goes from cherry to green bean—hand-picking, sorting, fighting pests and disease, and the processing methods that shape flavor.

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Roast

Coffee Roasting Overview

Coffee roasting isn't just about turning beans brown—it's a complex process of chemistry, timing, and heat that creates over 800 flavor compounds from a simple green seed. Understanding this transformation reveals why your morning cup tastes the way it does.

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sagebrush coffee pour over bar with a barista measuring specialty coffee beans on a scale

Brew

Coffee Brewing Basics

Everything that goes into great coffee comes down to the brew. Here's what matters most: grind size, water temperature, and brewing method.

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