Differences in the treatment of Costa Rican coffee red honey, yellow honey and black honey

Costa Rican boutique coffee has only come to the fore in the past decade. Although Costa Rica introduced coffee from Cuba as early as 1729 and carried out commercial cultivation, it made great efforts to develop the coffee bean industry. But it mainly produces and distributes mixed coffee beans and Italian commercial beans for export to its nearest neighbor, the United States, which is one of the largest coffee consumers. Because of this, the quality of Costa Rican coffee beans at that time had not yet reached the level of fine coffee. Moreover, due to the poor quality of coffee beans, Costa Rica does not have a national standard (a national standard for regulating the grade of raw coffee beans), because its country is not qualified to evaluate it.

Until later, Costa Rica in order to strengthen the export of high-quality coffee to Europe, the United States, Japan and other countries. Just began to vigorously develop high-quality coffee and increase the added value of coffee exports. At the same time, the government has set up a "coffee trust fund" to help coffee farmers in need tide over their financial difficulties and cultivate high-quality coffee. And in order to make coffee have better quality and characteristics, we used the popular honey treatment method in recent years to change the reputation of poor quality coffee. Therefore, the Costa Rican boutique coffee we are now exposed to is the fine processed honey beans of each of its estates. However, there are still coffee beans treated with ordinary sun water, but the quality and flavor are not so good, so they are not as widely traded as honey-treated beans. Although the development of boutique coffee started relatively late, but now Costa Rican boutique coffee is developing rapidly, with honey-treated mild acidity, soft taste and sweet high-quality berry flavor, it is not to be underestimated. And the so-called honey treatment method: refers to the coffee beans in the washing method to remove the peel and flesh of the step, select the remaining part of the pectin pulp to carry out a fermentation process, this treatment is honey treatment. According to the amount of remaining pectin meat, there are different flavors and names. For example, Costa Rica with yellow honey has about 25% pectin left over, red honey is about 50%, and black honey retains about 80% of pectin flesh. The most obvious difference between them is that they are sweeter from yellow, red and black. Coupled with the rich fruit rhyme, it is deeply loved by all the coffee gluttons.

Honey-treated HONEY

Honey treatment, like its name, is more obvious in sweetness.

The honey treatment is to intercept the raw beans washed by water halfway, and do not enter the fermentation process and directly take pectin / pulp for exposure. This treatment reduces acidity, increases sweetness and BODY (thickness), also has fruity aromas and improves cleanliness than sun-dried beans.

When we buy coffee beans, we sometimes see coffee bean treatments such as "white honey treatment" or "yellow honey treatment", which depends on how much pectin pulp the raw beans retain after exposure. Exposure with 80% pulp is called "black honey"; with 60% pulp is "red honey"; and retaining 40% pulp is called "yellow honey" treatment; with 20% pulp is called "white honey" treatment. Flavor, with more flesh for exposure, such as black honey red honey, the flavor will be closer to the sun treatment, high sweetness, sufficient fruit aroma, on the contrary, with less pulp, such as white honey treatment, cleanliness will be better, also has a higher sweetness than the general water-washed beans. The common producing countries of honey treatment are located in Central America, Costa Rica or Panama, etc., with good and stable quality. If you want to combine the cleanliness and freshness of washing and the sweetness of the sun, honey treatment is a good choice in your cup.