When you buy your coffee in a store and see the name "honey coffee" on a package, you may not know what kind of coffee is being referred to. If you didn't know, I'll let you know that it refers to semi-washed coffee, whose name: honey (honey in English) has nothing to do with the flavor of this rich coffee. Let's delve into the topic of honey coffee or semi-washed coffee and observe its processing, the reason for its name, how it's produced, and what its reality is in the global market.
What is the honey process?
Coffee beans aren't beans; they're the seeds of coffee cherries. This beloved beverage comes from a juicy, reddish fruit that is sometimes yellow or orange. Before roasting, the coffee cherry's layers are removed, and then the beans are dried to 11% moisture content. The two most common methods for removing the coffee cherry are: first, removing it with water (the washed process), and second, letting the coffee dry in the sun before removing it (the natural or dry process). However, the honey process is somewhere in between. The cherry skin is removed, but a portion of the pulp, the “mucilage” (gelatinous layer that covers the coffee seed), remains while the beans dry.
Why is it called honey?
The term “honey process” makes many people think that honey is used during the coffee process or that the coffee tastes like honey, which is not true. What actually happens is that the mucilage is extremely sweet and sticky like honey. Although the name has nothing to do with the flavor, these coffees are known for their sweetness. This process gets its name from the sticky, honey-like feel of the bean before drying. After the bean is separated from the cherry, it is covered with a layer of mucilage , which remains on the parchment.
Methods for processing coffee
There are three known methods for processing coffee: natural, washed and honey. Naturally processed coffees are dried with the cherry before milling. Washed or wet coffees are pulped and then fermented to remove the mucilage before drying and milling. The honey process is the bridge between wet and natural coffee. The cherry is pulped and then dried, still with the mucilage layer remaining on the parchment.
How is honey coffee produced?
Producing honey coffees is difficult because it takes a long time and requires great care. The first step is to harvest the ripest cherries from the trees. The beans are then pulped, leaving behind the mucilage layer, which contains a large amount of sucrose (sugar) and acids, which are key to processing a honey coffee.
The next stage is the most complex and sensitive of the process: the drying phase. Time must be managed correctly, and it's important not to dry the beans too quickly. This allows the flavors to transfer from the mucilage to the bean. It's also important not to dry the beans too slowly. This is effective in preventing the beans from fermenting and resulting in moldy coffee.
How do we reach this balance?
Once the coffee is placed on drying beds or concrete slabs, the beans must be moved or agitated several times an hour until they reach the desired moisture content. This usually takes six to ten hours. Afterward, The coffee should be stirred once a day for at least six to eight days. Sun-dried honey coffee takes this long because each night the beans absorb moisture from the air, requiring more drying time the next day. Once the coffee has dried, it's ready for milling and roasting, just like with other processes.
Honey-processed coffees generally contain great sweetness and acidity balanced with fruity notes. The flavors are typically less intense than those of naturally processed coffee, but their clarity and definition are much more noticeable and pronounced. The key to this distinctive flavor lies in the sugars and acidity of the mucilage. During the drying process, the sugars in the mucilage become more concentrated and then begin to soak into the bean.
Types of honey coffees, and what differentiates and values them
If you want to buy a honey coffee you will have three options: Yellow, red or black. You'll also hear a description by percentage. This means that producers often separate their crops into different categories. Some will have less mucilage, and therefore dry faster. Others will have more mucilage and require longer drying times. A yellow honey coffee (approximately 25% mucilage) typically has less cover or shade to speed up the drying time. A red honey coffee (approximately 50% mucilage) takes longer and typically develops with more cover or shade. A black honey coffee (approximately 100% mucilage) is usually covered to prolong the drying phase.
What is the best honey coffee?
Black honey coffee is the best , since the flavors of a honey process become more complex and have greater depth relative to the mucilage left behind in the parchment. The thicker the parchment, the stronger the flavors.
Honey coffee in the world market
Honey coffee has become a trend in the national and global markets for its sweetness, balanced acidity, and fruity aroma. In Costa Rica, it was adopted after seeing consistent improvements in bean quality, as it provides texture and flavor. This process is being promoted in Colombia, as for many coffee growers, this method is a profitable alternative that doesn't require radical changes to their farms. The important thing is to find a partnership with the market that promotes this practice. Coffee growers who have chosen this option hope that the economic appraisal will be beneficial for everyone.
Finally, remember that processing coffee requires a lot of care, because if proper temperature and drying curves are not followed, the coffee can ferment, develop microorganisms, and even rot.