How are Honey-Processed Coffee Beans Processed? Differences Between Costa Rican Coffee White, Yellow, Red, Gold, and Black Honey Processing

Honey process? Doesn't that sound very sweet? How exactly are honey-processed coffee beans handled, and how much honey is added? Can I drink it if I'm trying to lose weight? Please don't worry. You might be familiar with natural and washed coffees, but not quite understand honey-processed coffee beans. Today, FrontStreet Coffee will break down the different types of honey processing.

However, this is a common method for Costa Rican coffee. This method requires a great deal of precision and professional knowledge to be used correctly. Note that honey processing doesn't come from actual honey. The "honey" mentioned in this method actually comes from the mucilage layer of the bean, which is usually sticky and thick, which is why it's called honey processing.

How is it specifically done?

Coffee beans are actually not beans at all. They are the seeds of coffee cherries. Yes, that's right. Your favorite caffeinated beverage comes from juicy red (sometimes yellow or orange) fruits.

Before roasting "coffee beans," you must remove the fruit layers and dry the beans to a moisture content of about 11%. The two most common methods for removing cherries are 1) removing with water (washed processing) and 2) letting the coffee dry in the sun before mechanical removal (natural/dry processing).

However, honey processing falls somewhere in between. You remove the cherry skin but leave some pulp inside. When the beans dry, the "mucilage" remains.

To process coffee using this method, harvested cherries need to be pulped. This means separating the flesh from the beans. However, unlike the washed method, you must leave some mucilage on the beans. Afterward, the beans are placed on beds and dried for 10-15 days.

The result of this process is beans with higher acidity than when using the natural method, but lower acidity than when washing the beans. This unique balance makes this method very popular among coffee lovers, and you can see this method used for processing many coffee beans in Central America, especially Costa Rica.

White Honey:

80-90% of mucilage removed

Beans dried directly in the sun on raised beds

Beans dry quickly at high temperatures, and the parchment turns white

Yellow Honey:

50% of mucilage removed

Beans dried under low wind and moderate sun conditions

Beans are raked 3 to 4 times daily, with drying taking up to a week

White honey coffee tends to be mechanically washed, leaving minimal mucilage around the coffee beans. Yellow honey coffee is usually washed, leaving more mucilage around the coffee beans.

Red Honey:

80-90% of mucilage remains on the beans

Beans dried on raised beds under cloudy or shady conditions

Beans are raked in the first morning, then only once or twice in the afternoon

Black Honey:

Keep mucilage as close to intact as possible

Beans dried on raised beds under completely shaded conditions

Beans are not moved at all on the first day, then raked once daily; drying time can take up to three weeks.

Golden, Red, and Black Honey

The difference between these three lies in the amount of light exposure the beans receive and the drying time. More humidity and slower development result in black honey. Slightly less humidity leads to red, and even less leads to golden.

Golden honey will dry when it's warm, sunny, with very little humidity. This helps it dry quickly. However, red honey is processed in more shade to slow down the drying time. This will increase the humidity the beans are exposed to. Black honey takes longer and dries in even more shade.

The darker the honey color, the more work required. Black honey processed coffee requires constant monitoring to avoid over-fermentation and mold. They also generally have a greater chance of losing freshness. Green beans should be roasted as soon as they arrive to capture their sweet honey flavor.

Dark honey is popular in espresso, with a taste almost like someone has added a drop of honey to your cup. In contrast, white and yellow processed coffees tend to have a cleaner taste when prepared as filter coffee.

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