Honey
Coffee Processing: Honey – The Sweetness of Nature in Every Drop!
When you think of “honey” and coffee, you probably imagine a sweet latte with a dash of golden liquid. But in the world of specialty coffee, Honey is something completely different! It’s a processing technique that uniquely combines the sweetness of the natural process with the clean, fruity notes that coffee lovers all over the world love.
How does Honey processing work?
Unlike the washed (wet) and natural (dry) methods, Honey is a process that preserves some of the coffee cherry’s “pulp” (mucilage) on the bean during drying. Once the coffee cherries are picked, their outer skin is removed, but instead of washing the beans (like in wet processing), some of the sweet pulp is left to ferment naturally during drying. And while the name suggests honey, this process is anything but – it comes from the sticky, sweet consistency surrounding the beans, which does indeed resemble honey.The result? Honey -processed coffee preserves the natural sweetness of the fruit while offering smooth, balanced acidity. Depending on the amount of pulp left and the drying conditions, the coffee can have different flavors – from light, floral notes to an intense, fruity bomb.
Different versions of Honey processing
In the world of Honey, there are several shades that determine how much “honey” was left on the bean and how it affected the flavor:- Yellow Honey – The lightest version, leaving a small amount of pulp. The coffee has a delicate, balanced flavor profile, often with notes of citrus and flowers.
- Red Honey – The beans here have more pulp, which gives a fuller, fruitier coffee with a more pronounced sweetness and acidity. You can expect notes of berries, plums and chocolate.
- Black Honey – The most intense version, where most of the pulp remains on the bean and drying takes longer. Coffee with *Black Honey* has distinct notes of caramel, dark fruits and low acidity, reminiscent of a deep, full-bodied coffee.
Who processes Honey?
The Honey technique has gained popularity especially in Central America, with countries like Costa Rica and El Salvador becoming true masters of the method. Farmers in these regions, taking advantage of ideal climatic conditions, have discovered that the Honey method not only saves them water (unlike wet processing), but also brings out incredible flavors in the coffee beans.
One of the leading exponents of this method is Granja El Paraiso in Colombia, whose growers experiment with different Honey variants to deliver coffees with a varied and rich flavor profile. They monitor the fermentation process with precision, controlling the temperature and drying time to achieve the perfect balance between sweetness, acidity and body of the coffee.
