What is the basis of honey treatment grading? Is yellow honey red honey black honey graded by the degree of retention of fruit pulp?

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Pulp treatment refers to what honey treatment changes which step of the raw bean treatment method

As mentioned earlier, honey treatment is a kind of treatment between sun treatment and water washing. It keeps the coffee clean by washing, and because it is dried in the sun together with the pulp mucosa, it greatly increases the sweetness and caramel flavor of the coffee (the sugar content of the pulp mucosa is extremely high). Honey treatment first appeared in Costa Rica in Central America, mainly because of the lack of water resources in some high-altitude areas of Central America, so the coffee fruit was dried in the sun together with the pulp mucosa after using the pulp sieving machine.

Coffee beans treated with honey will be graded according to the degree of retention of the pulp (from more to less): yellow honey, red honey, black honey.

Huang (Honey Amarillo)

The light time of raw coffee beans treated with yellow honey was the longest. Longer light means higher heat, so this kind of coffee can be dried within a week. In general, the drying time of coffee depends on the local climate, temperature and humidity.

Red (Honey Rojo)

The drying time of raw coffee beans treated with red honey is 2-3 weeks, usually due to weather or placed in a dark place. If the weather is clear, the grower will shade part of the sun to reduce the sunlight time.

Black (Honey Negro)

Black honey treated coffee beans dried in the dark for the longest time, the shorter the light time, the drying time for at least 2 weeks. The black honey treatment of raw coffee beans is the most complex (because of the longer drying time, it takes longer to check to prevent the coffee beans from mildew and fermentation), the labor cost is the highest, so it is the most expensive.

On the palate, in addition to the above-mentioned sweetness, yellow honey is close to the clearness and purity of washing, while black honey is close to the rich fruit aroma and rich texture of sunburn, with red honey in the middle. Of course, this is only a common description of the flavor. The degree of baking, the way it is cooked, and the terroir (local conditions or microclimate) where different estates are located will still produce differences in taste, just waiting for you to taste it carefully.

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