What's the Difference Between Kenya Coffee K72 Washed and Regular Washed Processing? Introduction to Thika Region Assalia SL28 SL34 Coffee Beans

Kenya and Ethiopia are neighbors in East Africa, yet the coffees they produce could hardly be more different. Ethiopian coffee is known for its florals, fresh citrus acidity, and tea-like finish, while Kenyan coffee stands out with bright dark-plum and cherry-tomato acidity and a juicy sweetness.

Kenya owes this signature profile partly to a growing environment and climate remarkably suited to coffee, and partly to its premium varieties — SL28 and SL34 — which, combined with the distinctive Kenyan K72 washed process, develop exceptional acidity and juicy sweetness. So where did the K72 process come from, and how does it differ from ordinary washed processing?

According to our research at FrontStreet Coffee, Kenya began with conventional washed processing, also called the wet process. Coffee cherries are harvested and floated in water tanks to sort out underripe and damaged fruit. Then the skin and pulp are removed, leaving beans still coated in parchment and mucilage, which go into soaking tanks to ferment — typically 18-36 hours — until the mucilage breaks down.

Once fermentation ends, residue and bacteria remain on the beans, so they're rinsed thoroughly with clean water, then machine- or sun-dried until moisture drops to 10-14%. Finally, hulling machines strip away the remaining parchment and silver skin, and the processing is complete.

But Kenya's coffee industry runs on the cooperative model common across Africa: smallholder farmers deliver ripe cherries to designated processing stations. Depulping and fermenting take little time, but sun-drying needs at least 5 to 7 days — and Kenya historically had few processing stations. When large volumes of coffee arrived at once, there simply wasn't drying space for all the washed beans. The solution was to submerge the wet beans back into water tanks to keep them from contaminating or spoiling until room opened up on the drying beds.

This double-soaking practice became known as double washing, and because Kenya pioneered it, it's also called the Kenya process. Over time, producers discovered that it not only helped stabilize quality in production but also gave the coffee a complex, layered fruit acidity.

The Evolution of K72 Processing

Through further refinement, this approach evolved into today's Kenyan 72-hour washed process — K72 for short. The current method places even greater emphasis on controlling fermentation time. The initial steps match ordinary washed processing, but the fermentation is entirely different: 24 hours of fermentation, mucilage removal, a change to fresh water for another 24 hours, another cleanup, then a final change of water for a last 24 hours — 72 hours in total — before the beans are finally dried.

Conventional washed fermentation runs at most 36 hours; Kenyan washing stacks three fermentation stages into 72. That repeated cycle of fermenting and washing is what gives Kenyan coffee its intense acidity and delicate mouthfeel.

Considerations and Costs

There's a catch, though: the method demands large volumes of water and frequent changes to keep off-flavors from developing, which makes it considerably more expensive than ordinary washed processing. Even so, because it yields such distinctive, high-quality coffee, many Kenyan processing stations still commit to K72.

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenyan Offering

Our Kenyan beans at FrontStreet Coffee come from the Thika region, produced by the Assalia processing plant using K72 washed processing, from Kenya's flagship SL28 and SL34 varieties. Brewed, the cup offers cherry-tomato and dark-plum flavors with bright acidity, juice-like sweetness, and a clean, refreshing mouthfeel.

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FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you love Kenya's intense, juicy acidity, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Little Tomato is the natural next step: a washed SL28/SL34 lot from the Thika growing region at 1550-1750m, double-washed with 72-hour fermentation and lightly roasted to keep its lively fruit. Expect bright cherry-tomato and dark-plum acidity with a full, fresh-pressed-juice body.

And for contrast, FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe shows what Ethiopia does instead — crisp jasmine florals and bright citrus over a light, tea-like body, like a clean lemon tea. Brewing the two side by side is the best way to taste how these neighboring countries diverged.