Which is Sweeter: Honey Processed or Natural Coffee? In Which Countries Are Honey Processed Coffee Beans Typically Found?

Perhaps many coffee enthusiasts, like FrontStreet Coffee, immediately think of two answers when mentioning sweeter coffee: one is natural process, and the other is honey process. Natural process coffees often emphasize the fermented aromas of ripe fruits, while honey process coffees tend to express a full-bodied sweetness in taste. It seems that in the market, both post-processing methods for these coffees highlight one characteristic: "sweetness."

Why Do We Love Natural Process Coffee So Much?

FrontStreet Coffee remembers when first entering the industry, being asked such a question: "Among so many coffee beans, which one do you like most?" FrontStreet Coffee immediately answered: "Natural process." Compared to other processing methods, the flavor profile of natural process coffee always includes a series of fruit descriptions, from common categories like berries, citrus, apricots, tropical fruits, to specific fruits like guava, mango, jackfruit, peaches, and more - truly comprehensive. Who wouldn't feel a sweet sensation after reading this abundant fruit list?

Natural process, known in English as Dry Process, Natural, or Sun Dried, is simply the method of drying whole coffee cherries directly under full sun exposure. Compared to other processing methods, natural process is much simpler in operation. As long as there's good weather with plenty of sunshine, whether on African drying racks or on clean cement squares, the cherries can be spread out to receive the baptism of sunlight.

Because natural process involves drying the entire coffee fruit with its moisture content much higher than fully washed beans with skin and pulp removed, the drying time needs to be longer, typically twice as long as washed processing. For example, in the sunny Ethiopian region, it takes at least 3 weeks to completely dry for storage. In Central and South America, some well-equipped estates build specialized wooden drying racks or sun-shaded drying beds to allow the fruit to dry more slowly, thereby bringing varying degrees of fermentation. This slow natural process usually requires 4-5 weeks.

In terms of flavor, natural process coffee, since it dries with the skin, pulp, and mucilage together, generates more volatile compounds from microorganisms when the fruit begins to ferment, especially esters. The entire process creates certain fermented flavors, so the coffee easily presents dense aromas similar to ripe tropical fruits, along with fermented flavors and a complex taste profile with rounded sweetness.

What Is The "Honey" in Honey Process?

Honey process, translated from the English "Honey Process," also called "Miel Process," gets its "honey" from "Miel," which means honey in Spanish. The term "honey process" first spread from Costa Rica, where locals liked to call the sticky, gelatinous layer inside the fruit "Miel."

This processing method, which sounds sweet just from its name, evolved from Brazil's Pulped Natural process, originally invented to save production water. Regarding how honey processing rose to prominence in Costa Rica, FrontStreet Coffee found two key time periods.

In the second half of the 20th century, Costa Rica primarily produced washed process coffee. With pioneering coffee depulping equipment and wet mills, they could be considered pioneers of modern washed processing technology.

Around 1997-2000, international coffee prices continued to decline. To obtain more income to sustain their livelihoods, many growers no longer sold coffee cherries directly to large processing stations but instead sold their own products through self-production and self-marketing. Because of this, coffee farmers gained control over processing stations and naturally could experiment more. The depulped drying process was introduced to production under these circumstances.

Honey process first appeared in the public eye in 2006, when a coffee farmer named Juan Ramón Alvarado won first and second place in the Costa Rica GOLDEN HARVEST green bean competition organized by SCAA with two honey process coffees. The following year, honey process coffees also appeared in the first Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (CoE), with 3 of the top 5 coffees being honey processed.

By 2008, Costa Rica experienced a major earthquake that caused severe power outages and water shortages in many areas. To address these immediate problems, local coffee farmers began adopting this "water-saving" process. Although many people initially resisted, feeling that this processing method of drying with pulp and mucilage could easily lead to uncontrolled fermentation, many farms not only achieved positive results after experimenting but also significantly reduced water consumption. Later, various honey processing methods were developed by controlling the degree of mucilage fermentation to achieve different flavor expressions.

Why Are There So Many Classifications of Honey Process?

In terminology, we often hear honey processes with colors like black honey, red honey, yellow honey, and white honey. This is because the mucilage contains many sugars, so when green beans with only mucilage are exposed to air, oxidation occurs. The appearance of the beans gradually changes from the initial yellowish-white to golden yellow. As fermentation progresses over time, the beans may turn deep red or even purplish-black until drying is complete.

Theoretically, dark-colored black honey and red honey coffees are closer to natural process than light-colored yellow honey and white honey, with more pronounced fermentation notes. However, even today, there is still no precise standard in the industry to define different colors of honey process. Most depend on the producer, which leads to naming confusion. For example, "red honey" produced by one farm might be called "yellow honey" by another.

The drying time for honey process is between natural and washed processes, ranging from 2 to 4 weeks. Similarly, the flavors often fall between natural and washed processes, mostly leaning toward the aromatic characteristics of natural process, often with sweetness reminiscent of ripe fruits and dried fruits, but accompanied by solid, bright acidity—a characteristic that traditional natural processing rarely possesses.

Which Coffee Is Sweeter: Honey Process or Natural Process?

Similar to the sweetness values of fruits, the sweetness level of coffee cherries is mainly affected by factors such as variety, cultivation management, altitude, and ripeness at harvest. For example, fully red cherries develop higher sweetness than unripe ones, and beans from higher altitudes tend to store richer sweet substances.

Processing methods do determine the amount of sweet substances retained in coffee beans and the degree of sugar conversion, but overall, the impact is relatively small. The sweetness expression of coffee also depends on the flavor descriptions of taste and smell during tasting. Therefore, we cannot directly say that honey process is sweeter than natural process, or that natural process coffee is sweeter than honey process.

The sweetness of coffee does not exist independently. We perceive sweetness mainly through the coordination of bitterness, acidity, and aroma. Therefore, if you prefer a rounded mouthfeel with a fuller-bodied sweetness, we can prioritize natural process coffees, such as Elida Estate Natural Catuai, Flower Queen, or Natural Emerald Red Label. If you prefer a lighter texture with sweetness accompanied by acidity and a clean aftertaste, you can try honey processed beans, such as Guatemala's New Oriental Geisha or Costa Rica's Strawberry Candy.

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