The Vancouver Indy Coffee Scene

In the wet process, ripe cherries are first immersed in water where any floating (coffee) cherries are removed as defective. The remaining cherries are then pressed by machine against a perforated surface, allowing only the seed to pass through the holes. The remaining pulp is then removed by placing the beans into a fermentation tank to loosen the pulp before it is washed away with water. After the pulp is removed, the coffee beans are then dried by a combination of sun drying and machine drying. Machine drying is common practice, especially in damp climates where mildew can cause problems.

Author’s note:
Wet processed coffee beans are sometimes called washed coffee, in reference to the washing that separates the pulp from the beans.