A loose label for methods that fall between wet and dry processing, mainly pulped natural (honey) and wet-hulled coffees.
Semi-washed (or semi-dry) is a loose label for methods that fall between wet and dry processing. The source groups two distinct methods under it: pulped natural or honey processing, developed in Brazil, and wet-hulled (giling basah) processing, used in Indonesia. Because it names a category rather than one procedure, the specific process behind a semi-washed label is worth checking.
How it worksA trade label rather than one fixed method. The source notes that two distinct methods fall between the wet and dry processes and are often grouped together as semi-dry or semi-washed: pulped natural/honey, and wet-hulled (giling basah).
History
Pulped natural was first tried at the Instituto Agronomico de Campinas in Brazil in the early 1950s and taken up commercially in southern Minas Gerais in the 1980s. Wet-hulling is used in Indonesia.
Our notes on Semi-Washed are still being checked against their sources, so for now this page shows only the facts we can stand behind.
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