Can Honey Processing Improve Coffee Bean Quality? Flavor and Texture Changes in Honey Processed Coffee Beans

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Understanding Honey Processing: A Unique Coffee Processing Method

There is a new coffee bean processing method called honey processing.

We call it de-pulped natural processing.

After removing the thick skin of coffee cherries, the mucilaginous pulp layer underneath is retained.

Next, instead of using fermentation to remove the mucilaginous pulp layer, the coffee beans are dried directly with this layer, and then the mucilage and parchment are removed.

The Challenges of Honey Processing

The difficulty lies in the drying process.

Since the mucilaginous pulp layer is still on the coffee beans, they must be turned frequently during the first few days.

This prevents the coffee beans from clumping together, therefore it requires more manual labor than the typical washed method. Labor costs increase.

Advantages of Honey Processing

The advantage of honey processing is that it enhances the coffee's body and sweetness.

It relatively reduces the acidity, while the aroma becomes more delicate.

The green bean quality can be comparable to washed processing, but this is the flavor profile achieved when honey processing is perfectly executed.

If not processed properly, the flavor will be worse than washed or natural processing methods, resulting in unclean taste with a heavy earthy flavor.

Understanding the Honey Processing Method

Simply put, honey processing involves removing the coffee cherry skin, leaving the sticky pulp, then drying it, and finally removing the pulp and pectin layers.

However, during the drying period, frequent and continuous turning is required to prevent the pulp from sticking together and causing mold; meanwhile, over-fermentation must also be avoided.

Therefore, it requires more labor and time costs compared to other processing methods.

Different Levels of Honey Processing

This time, let's discuss honey processing in detail. The retention ratio of pulp can be roughly divided into the following types:

30%~40% pulp [Yellow Honey]

50%~60% pulp [Red Honey]

70%~80% pulp [Black Honey]

Basically, the more pulp retained, the more enhanced the sweetness and the fuller the body.

Generally, honey processing refers to [Yellow Honey]. The more pulp retained, the more meticulous and careful the processing needs to be.

The Flavor Profile of Honey Processed Coffee

Fellow coffee enthusiasts might ask our editor what honey processing tastes like.

Based on our experience and perception:

Honey processing produces coffee with distinct coffee pulp flavor (one of the 36 flavors).

I think most people might not understand what coffee pulp tastes like.

Honestly, if I hadn't eaten real coffee pulp myself, I couldn't explain it either.

Coffee pulp is very sweet, and after drying, it gives a feeling similar to fermented wine notes. This might help everyone understand better.

FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee): A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store service. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

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