How to distinguish the Origin of Honey-treated Coffee beans

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Presumably the name "honey processing" itself may be a little misleading. Most people who have heard or drank honey-treated coffee beans will think that honey-treated coffee beans are aroma or a description of a taste, even if honey is added to the coffee bean processing, otherwise there are honey-like spices. As a matter of fact, there are neither of these situations, nor is that what I mean.

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.

A coffee buyer who came to Costa Rica from Japan in 2003 asked for a "PULP NATURAL" (natural sticky paste) instead of traditional washed coffee. This is because two major coffee bean companies in Japan, from Italy's Illy and Guataro, use this semi-washed Brazilian coffee in their blended beans.

They want to expand the purchase option, based on affirming the quality of Costa Rican coffee beans, so they put forward the concept of semi-washing and asked Costa Rica to use semi-washing to deal with coffee beans. The results showed that the coffee beans treated by semi-washing not only had rich aroma, but also reduced the original acidity of Costa Rican coffee and improved the overall coffee flavor.

Because the mucous membrane on the surface of half-washed coffee beans feels sticky, and that stickiness feels like honey, the word "Honey" was born because it gives people a visual feel like honey.

Honey processing (Honey processed) is divided into four levels, namely white honey (White Honey), yellow honey (Yellow Honey), red honey (Red Honey) and black honey (Black Honey). Color is just a distinction, and the main difference between inconsistent colors is taste. It is worth mentioning that due to the adjustment of different cleaning degree and drying time of coffee beans, a new technology of honey treatment of coffee beans has been developed, which also makes the working method of coffee treatment enter a new milestone.

As the name implies, semi-washing must have the steps of washing with water, but the mucous membrane on parchment is not washed thoroughly and cleanly. The so-called semi-washing is actually the traditional Brazilian method of dealing with raw beans.

In terms of coffee bean color, the color of honey-treated coffee bean shell depends on the amount of mucus attached to the parchment. White honey's mucus is closer to wet-treated coffee beans because it adheres to less. The mucus of yellow honey is almost half washed, so the color is lighter. Red honey retains more mucus than yellow honey, because it is only soaked in a clean sink for one night, and then the skin is removed, and there is no real cleaning procedure. Black honey preserves all the mucus and does not wash, just peeling off the outer skin of the coffee berries. Although it has not been cleaned with clean water, black honey is still classified as a semi-washed treatment method.