Vizcaya Estate | San Marco Volcanic Region Maragogipe (Elephant Bean) Honey Process: Understanding Honey Processing

Viquesaya Estate | San Marcos Volcanic Region Maragogipe (Elephant Bean) Honey Process? What is Honey Process?

Viquesaya Coffee Estate is located in Guatemala's earliest production area and has been famous for its high-quality coffee for two hundred years. The coffee from Viquesaya Estate grows along mountain ridges at elevations ranging from 1,300 to 1,800 meters, with temperatures between 21 to 27 degrees. Influenced by Pacific sea breezes and moisture, the relative humidity ranges from 70% to 80%, with rainfall between 4,000 to 5,000 millimeters, making it the highest rainfall area among Guatemala's eight production regions. The nearby active volcano Santiaguito provides volcanic ash, making its soil even more fertile. Due to climate conditions and unpredictable rainfall, most estates have their own washing facilities, where coffee is first sun-dried to semi-dry in courtyards, then dried using low-temperature methods.

Estate Information

Estate: Viquesaya Estate

Region: San Marcos Volcanic Region

Altitude: 1200-1400m

Soil: Volcanic soil

Rainfall: 4000 - 5000 mm

Processing Method: Honey process

Certification: ERGOS Origin Selection

Variety: Maragogipe (Elephant Bean)

Bean Size: (To be added)

Moisture Content: (To be added)

Flavor: Raisin, banana fruit flavors, colorful notes like vanilla, nuts, citrus, tomato, with extremely high sweetness

Coffee Processing Methods

The main coffee processing methods are divided into three categories: natural (dry), washed, and honey process. The natural method involves directly drying coffee cherries under the sun before removing the outer skin and mucilage layer. The washed method removes the coffee pulp before drying and uses fermentation to eliminate the mucilage layer. The honey process falls between natural and washed methods: the coffee pulp is removed while preserving the mucilage layer, which is then dried directly.

The term "honey process" might make many people think that this method involves using honey to process coffee, or that coffee processed this way tastes as sweet as honey, but in fact, neither of these explanations is correct. The meaning of "honey process" comes from the very sticky mucilage layer of the coffee beans before drying - the sticky feeling resembles honey. When the coffee pulp separates from the coffee beans, the surrounding mucilage layer is exposed to air, absorbing moisture from the air and causing the mucilage layer to become sticky.

The honey process is not simple - it requires long processing time and careful handling. So what steps does honey processing include? First, coffee farmers must select mature coffee cherries from coffee trees, then remove the outer pulp, preserving the mucilage layer around the coffee beans as mentioned earlier. The mucilage layer retains high proportions of sugar and acidity, and these sweet and acidic components are key to honey processing. The following step is the most complex and critical part of honey processing: drying. Timing must be well-controlled, and duration is crucial. If drying time is too short, the substances from the mucilage layer cannot be transferred into the coffee beans, but the time cannot be too long either - action must be quick to avoid internal fermentation of the beans which could lead to moldy beans. So how to achieve balance? The beans are placed on sun-drying racks or concrete floors. For the first few days, the beans must be turned several times every hour until reaching the required moisture content - this step usually takes 6-10 hours. For the next 6-8 days, they need to be turned at least once daily. Quite time-consuming, isn't it? The reason honey process sun-drying is so time-consuming is that every night the beans absorb moisture from the air, requiring more time for drying the next day.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing:

Pour-over Reference

Use a KEY dripper, 16 grams of coffee with 32 grams of water, bloom for 30 seconds, extract with water temperature of 89-90°C, 1:15 ratio, medium-fine grind (Fuji 3.5). For the second pour, add water to 110ml and pause, wait for the water level to drop before slowly adding more water, maintaining even speed and keeping water level not too high. Continue pouring until reaching 233ml, total extraction time 2:15 seconds - resulting in rich natural sweet notes. Everyone can make fine adjustments according to their own taste preferences.

Important Notice :

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