Which coffee region's beans first introduced you to the washed process? Many of you are probably thinking of the words Yirgacheffe right now. After the Ethiopian government introduced the washed process from Central and South America in the 1970s to improve coffee bean quality, the small town of Yirgacheffe, then still part of the Sidamo region, used the washed process to present bright acidity, white florals and a tea-like body, and in no time won the hearts of many coffee connoisseurs! Best Coffee believes the washed process best represents a coffee bean's fundamental character, and it is also the process that best reflects whether a coffee bean is good or bad.

What is the washed process?

All processing methods cannot do without drying under the sun. Coffee fruit contains a lot of sugar, and if it is exposed to high temperatures for a long time, the sugar inside easily ferments, causing the coffee beans to develop a sharp fermented acidity. At the same time, sun-drying depends on the weather; in a humid season or during continuous rain, if the coffee fruit is not dried in time or not dried evenly, it will begin to rot, producing a rotten flavor in the coffee beans.
 

To solve this problem, people began trying to first remove the skin, pulp and pectin with water, reducing the water content of the coffee fruit before drying, so that the sun-drying time would also be greatly shortened, and thus the washed process was born. Before honey processing became popular, Costa Rica mainly used the washed process; in 1821 Costa Rica vigorously developed its coffee-growing industry, began the washed process in 1830, and by 1905, more than a hundred years ago, Costa Rica already had more than 200 washed processing plants.

The washed process: procedure and steps

(1) Cleaning/collection/flotation/skimming
Within 6-12 hours after picking, the coffee fruit is sent to the processing plant to be weighed, then soaked and washed, with the aim of picking out the "little bad ones" that float on the surface because their density is not high enough and clearing away twigs, sand and stones.
 

(2) Removing the skin and pulp
A machine is used to remove the skin and pulp, leaving only the coffee beans wrapped in parchment. At this point there is still a layer of mucilage on the outside of the beans, so fermentation is needed to produce acidity that makes the mucilage fall off.

 

(3) Fermentation & demucilaging
This layer of mucilage is the pectin part. The mucilage of the pectin part has strong adhesion and is not easy to remove, so it needs to be placed in a clean water tank for about 18-36 hours, letting the pectin ferment and produce acidity that breaks down the mucilage.
 

(4) Washing off the pectin
After the mucilage breaks down, a small amount of clean water is added and the beans are stirred, letting the pectin breakdown products fall off the coffee beans. After washing, you get coffee beans wrapped in parchment and a hard outer skin.
 

(5) Sun-drying
After washing, defective coffee beans are picked out, then the beans are spread on a concrete patio/waterproof tarp/drying bed for sun-drying. The drying time depends on the weather, generally ranging from 5-14 days. After drying, the water content of the coffee beans drops from 55% to 11%.
 

⑥ Storage
After drying is complete, the coffee beans are stored with the parchment layer still on, and the parchment is only removed before the coffee beans are exported.

Flavor and Mouthfeel Characteristics of the Washed Processing Method

Because the "bad guys" are roughly picked out before all processing steps, and then defective beans are picked out once more before sun drying, and on top of that the fermentation process in the tank gives the coffee beans a brighter acidity. So Qianjie believes the biggest flavor characteristic of the washed processing method is bright fruit acidity, with the coffee overall clean and fresh, and rich in layers.

Qianjie Yirgacheffe everyday coffee is a major representative of the washed method, and under a medium-light roast it can express the light, delicate flavors of white florals, citrus and pomelo, suitable for friends who do not like bitter coffee.
 

How should Qianjie Washed Yirgacheffe be brewed to taste better?

Grind size: Qianjie recommends a medium-fine grind (78% passing rate on the China standard No. 20 sieve). Too coarse and the rich, full-bodied substances cannot be extracted, and the brewed coffee will seem thin. Too fine and it is easy to over-extract at high water temperatures, and the brewed coffee will easily turn bitter. The water temperature can be 90-91°C, so the bright fruit acidity can be expressed more fully. Because the acidity is on the high side, the brewing ratio can be 1:16 to dilute the acid concentration and let the other light flavors (such as floral and tea notes) show through. For the brewing technique, Qianjie recommends a staged pouring method, so that different flavor substances can show their best as the coffee bed rises in temperature in stages.
 

Brewing method: first pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, at which point the coffee swells up quite fully. In the second stage, pour 120g of water in a small circle at the center. Pour from a height of 5cm, gently, with no need to stir. When the water level drops to 1/2 of the coffee bed, begin the third stage of pouring; in this stage, pour gently in a circle from the center outward, at a flow rate of about 4g/s, until 240g is reached and the pour ends. When the coffee liquid in the dripper has fully dripped through, the extraction ends, with a time of 2'00"-2'10".