Gold Washed Coffee Explained: Lemongrass & Ginger Flavor Notes from Colombia Cauca

 In a gold washed coffee, I tasted unmistakable notes of lemongrass and ginger.

A few days ago, I shared a dedicated introduction to what gold washed processing is—a relatively new method that combines the strengths of both washed and natural processing. The first time I encountered a gold washed coffee was last November at the Shanghai Coffee Expo. At the booth of Direct Coffee from Kyoto, this particular coffee immediately caught my eye. That moment marked the beginning of a flavor experience that completely amazed me—one that has stayed with me ever since.

I placed an order for the beans on the spot. This coffee is a Gold Washed Red Bourbon from Popayán, Cauca, Colombia. The barista at the booth was also the roaster of this very coffee, and the way he presented its flavors was incredibly impressive. It was the first time I had ever tasted such distinctly clean and vivid lemongrass and ginger notes in a Colombian coffee built on an innovative twist of traditional processing methods. Ultra-clean, ultra-refreshing, and incredibly smooth. Today, I want to take some time to talk about this coffee in detail. If you ever come across beans from the same region, make sure you give them a try. From what I’ve researched, most of the production from this farm is exported to Japan and Australia.

Popayán is a city in southwestern Colombia, the capital and largest city of Cauca Department. The Cauca region itself is considered one of Colombia’s core coffee-growing areas. Before diving deeper into this coffee, it’s necessary to revisit the concept of gold washed processing and the Santuario Project that I mentioned previously. Santuario is a professional coffee producer and exporter with farms and processing facilities in Colombia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Ethiopia, and El Salvador.

The founder of the Santuario Project, Camilo Merizalde, is also behind the Colombian farm where this coffee was produced. His journey into coffee is quite interesting—he originally worked as a financial trader with no background in the coffee industry. During visits to suppliers, he was often asked where to find high-quality Colombian coffee. After returning home to Colombia, he reached out to people working in coffee farming, and that’s how he gradually entered the world of specialty coffee.

“Santuario” means “sanctuary” in Spanish. Camilo envisioned creating a refuge and a dream farm in the Cauca mountains of Colombia. The farm mainly grows Bourbon varieties along with several others, at elevations ranging from 1,850 to 2,100 meters above sea level—nearly ideal conditions for coffee cultivation. The farm also operates a large-scale processing center. Their focus goes beyond simply improving coffee quality; they emphasize developing styles and techniques grounded in scientific processes, ensuring consistent quality year after year.

I also want to briefly talk about Direct Coffee, the roastery based in Kyoto. They don’t have an official brand website, nor is there an abundance of written information about them. However, their official Instagram account has around 11,000 followers, which is quite solid compared to many overseas independent roasters I’ve come across. Judging from this particular coffee, you can get a sense of their roasting philosophy. They use a Diedrich roaster—one of my personal favorite brands.

Diedrich roasters are best known for their infrared heating systems. This technology transfers energy directly through infrared radiation, efficiently delivering heat to the drum and the bean surface while minimizing heat loss to the surrounding air. More importantly, this roasting method helps preserve complexity and sweetness in the coffee. Infrared heat reduces the risk of scorching the bean surface and allows for more even internal and external development. That’s exactly why the coffees they roast have such clean, clearly defined flavor profiles. They place strong emphasis on expressing terroir and highlighting sweetness. When you drink their coffee, you can clearly sense its cleanliness, pronounced sweetness, and a gentle yet gradually bright acidity, with a well-structured and layered overall profile.

As soon as you open the bag, you’re greeted by an intense lemongrass aroma. Honestly, smelling something like this in winter feels like spring blooming inside your heart. Within that strong lemongrass aroma, there’s a hint of ginger lingering in the finish—not the sharp, spicy note of aged ginger, but a fresh, uplifting sweetness reminiscent of young ginger. It’s truly unique. Once ground, these aromas become even more intense and expressive.

I brewed this coffee using two different setups. The first was a V60 Drip-Assist (Smart Dripper) used purely as a V60 cone, just like the barista did at the expo. The valve was kept open throughout, with no immersion involved. The pouring focused on a small central area, mostly using a single continuous pour. I used 92°C water (Nongfu Spring), a brew ratio of about 1:16, and a total brew time of around 1 minute and 55 seconds, including a 20-second bloom. In the V60, the citrus notes really stood out, with acidity that was extremely gentle yet bright. It was a genuinely pleasant sensory experience. The highlight, though, was the mouthfeel—exceptionally smooth and round, almost rolling across the tongue. It felt refined and elegant.

The second method I used was a three-hole flat-bottom dripper paired with Læsseyr filter paper, a setup I’ve been using quite often recently. With this dripper, I usually go for a slightly tighter ratio—around 1:15. Using 15 grams of coffee and yielding about 198 grams of brewed coffee results in an effective ratio closer to 1:13. This slightly higher concentration brings out a richer sweetness, which is exactly what I was aiming for. In the flat-bottom dripper, the flavors came through more boldly: bright lemon and citrus notes, paired with a delicate ginger aroma. The smooth, rounded texture was consistently satisfying in every cup. It’s the kind of coffee that makes you finish it almost without realizing it—pure comfort, like a gentle massage for your taste buds.

Gold Washed Coffee Explained: What Is Gold Washed Processing & Why It Tastes So Sweet

 When shopping for coffee, you may have come across a processing method labeled “Gold Washed.” We’re all familiar with one of the classic processing methods—washed—but what does the addition of gold actually mean? How is it different from traditional washed coffee? Today, I’d like to dedicate this article to exploring exactly what the Gold Washed process is.

I wanted to write this piece because I recently encountered an outstanding roaster from Kyoto at a coffee festival. They were showcasing a Red Bourbon from the Popayán region of Cauca, Colombia, processed using the Gold Washed method. That coffee left a deep impression on me—it was simply too good. Naturally, it sparked my curiosity to dig deeper into this processing style. (I’ll be sharing a full tasting review of that coffee later. I couldn’t resist and ordered two bags on the spot—no hesitation at all.)

When it comes to “Gold Washed,” there is a certain degree of producer-specific ownership to the method. By that, I mean that while the process can be learned and replicated, most of the Gold Washed coffees currently available on the market come from Santuario Project. Santuario is a professional coffee producer and exporter with farms and processing facilities in Colombia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Mexico, Ethiopia, and El Salvador.

In this article, we’ll focus on two things:

1. The overall workflow of the Gold Washed process

2. The specific advantages it brings to flavor expression

In simple terms, Gold Washed combines the strengths of both washed and natural processing. It does not strictly belong to the traditional washed category. Instead, it can be seen as a more refined, upgraded version of washed processing. The core goal is to retain the clean, bright flavor profile of washed coffees while introducing the enhanced sweetness, fruit complexity, and body commonly found in natural processing—through carefully controlled fermentation.

To better understand this, let’s compare it step by step with the traditional washed process.

The initial steps are exactly the same. First comes harvesting and flotation: only fully ripe red cherries are picked, then placed in water tanks to remove floaters, defects, and debris. Next, a depulping machine removes the outer skin and most of the fruit flesh. At this stage, the coffee beans are still coated in a sticky layer of mucilage.

Up to this point, the process is identical to traditional washed coffee. The key difference begins during the mucilage fermentation stage. In a classic washed process, mucilage-covered beans are submerged in water for underwater fermentation, typically lasting 12–36 hours. After fermentation, the mucilage is completely washed away with large amounts of clean water, followed by drying.

Gold Washed processing takes a different approach. Instead of fermenting underwater, the beans—still coated with mucilage—are placed in a dry or semi-dry environment (without full water immersion) for a longer, tightly controlled dry fermentation, which may last several days. During this time, temperature, pH levels, and humidity are closely monitored.

The reason for this method is to allow microorganisms—such as yeasts and bacteria—to interact more deeply with the mucilage, producing more complex sugars and flavor compounds. At the same time, the beans are not in contact with the full fruit mass as in natural processing, making the process more controllable and consistent in quality. This is a critical distinction: traditional washed processing prioritizes efficiency and cleanliness, often washing away much of the fermentation-driven flavor potential. Gold Washed coffees, on the other hand, manage to preserve the cleanliness of washed coffees while capturing the sweetness and expressive character typically associated with naturals.

Next comes the drying stage. In traditional washed processing, fully washed parchment coffee (still wrapped in its inner skin) is dried on patios or in mechanical dryers until moisture content reaches around 11–12%. With Gold Washed, after fermentation reaches its intended endpoint, the beans may be lightly rinsed with water, but not thoroughly washed as in traditional methods, before moving on to drying. (Perhaps this brief contact with water is why it still carries the “washed” name—just a thought.)

This gentle rinse is more important than it might sound. Its purpose is to halt fermentation, preventing over-fermentation and ensuring flavor balance in the final cup.

Because of the extended and carefully managed fermentation, Gold Washed coffees tend to develop higher sugar content, resulting in a pronounced sweetness. At the same time, they retain the hallmark bright acidity of washed coffees—often reminiscent of citrus, lemon, or green apple. The overall flavor profile is clean and well-defined, yet layered with notes of stone fruits (such as peach or apricot), berries, and sometimes even subtle tropical fruit nuances. The mouthfeel is rounder and smoother. (Honestly, I found almost all of these characteristics in the coffee I tasted—and it was incredibly satisfying.)

I really enjoy sharing these less common but thoughtfully designed processing innovations—methods that push boundaries without resorting to extreme or gimmicky techniques. Gold Washed is a great example of a modern processing approach that uses precise fermentation control to optimize flavor. It doesn’t aim to overthrow tradition, but rather to refine it.

If you appreciate the cleanliness of washed coffee but wish for more sweetness and fruit complexity, then the next time you see a coffee labeled Gold Washed, don’t hesitate. It’s absolutely worth trying.