Scrubs mucilage off the beans by friction in a machine instead of fermenting it off, using less labor and water than tank washing.
Mechanical demucilage removes mucilage from pulped beans by friction in a machine, rather than by fermentation. The source says it needs less labor and less water than washing in tanks or channels. Its cup is generally described as having a sharper acidity, while fermented beans are described as juicier and finer.
How it worksA machine removes the mucilage by friction, between the beans and against the machine's metal parts, in place of fermenting it off in tanks or channels.
Step by step
- 01
Cherry is pulped.
- 02
The beans pass through a demucilaging machine that scrubs the mucilage off by friction.
- 03
The cleaned beans go on to drying.
Field notes
- i
The method is also called machine-assisted wet processing or aquapulping.
Our notes on Mechanical Demucilage are still being checked against their sources, so for now this page shows only the facts we can stand behind.
In the cup, according to guides
- AcidityMoreGenerally described as sharper in acidity, where fermented washed coffee is described as juicier and finer.
A variant of
At the same stage
Sources · 1 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-09-30. Some details here are less settled than others.
- Coffee processing · Wikimedia Foundation