Waking up with a delicious Honey….
We are currently roasting our first honey processed coffee, and we realize a lot of people do not know what honey processing entails.
First off, what is honey processing?
Before you can roast the coffee, the layers of the coffee cherry need to be removed and the beans fermented and dried.
The most common methods of removing the layers from the coffee cherry (processing method) are 1) washed processing (to remove the layers with water) and 2) natural/dry processing (removing the layers mechanically after it has been dried in the sun.
Honey processing is something different though, and it has nothing to do with actual honey. With honey processing they leave some of the juicy mucilage on the beans while they are dried. The Mucilage is extremely sweet and sticky, almost like honey.
why do we call our coffee a “Red Honey” processed coffee?
Honey processed coffee is a bit more complex than the above, you get different kinds of honeys.
The first two are mostly differentiated by the amount of mucilage left on the beans.
White Honey: Usually mechanically washed, leaving less mucilage on the beans.
Mucilage: 100% removed
Drying: Dried uncovered
Character: Clean, balanced
Yellow Honey: Usually semi-washed, leaving a bit more mucilage on the bean compared to white honey.
Mucilage: 50% removed
Drying: Dried uncovered
Character: Floral, light body, apricot
The next three honeys are differentiated by the amount of light and drying time that they are exposed to. Slower development and a more humid environment lead to black honeys. Less humidity leads to red, and even less leads to gold.
Gold Honey: Dried quickly during warm sunny weather with less humidity.
Mucilage: 75% removed
Drying: Dried uncovered
Character: Crisp, citrusy
Red Honey: Dried in shade, thus slowing the drying time and increasing the time the beans are exposed to humidity.
Mucilage: 25% removed
Drying: Dried semi covered
Character: Sweet and syrupy
Black Honey: Theses coffees develop over a longer period of time in more dense shade than the Red honeys. They are expensive since they need to be constantly monitored to avoid over fermentation and mold development.
Mucilage: 0% removed
Drying: Covered and left to ferment with a slow drying time compared to the other honeys
Character: Sweet and full bodied with fruity/pulp depth
What’s so special about the Red Honey that we got our hands on?
Our Red Honey forms part of a microlot sourced from Costa Rica.
The coffee is farmed by María Alvarado in the region of Tarrazu, a region known to produce some of the most favoured cup profiles in Costa Rica.
María was born into a coffee producing family and has dedicated her life to produce specialty coffee in Tarrazu.
The trees grow at an Altitude of 1800 Meters above sea level (masl) and is harvested in December and January.
María definitely knows a thing or two about honeys! Her delicious coffee boasts incredible flavours of Crème caramel and stewed fruit with medium malic acidity and a medium to full body. It’s an exceptional coffee for espressos, dessert-like and smooth!
We’ve only got our hands on 60 bags of this exceptional coffee, so get yours before it’s too late!
Order yours HERE
