What is honey treatment? Why is it called honey treatment? The difference between yellow honey, red honey and black honey

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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.

What is honey treatment?

Coffee beans are not really beans, but the seeds of coffee fruit, while coffee is a red fruit when ripe, and may have a yellow and orange appearance depending on the variety.

But before the coffee beans are roasted, there are several layers of matter to be removed from the outer layer of the fruit, and then the coffee beans are dried to a moisture content of about 11%. There are two common treatments: washing with water to remove the pectin layer. and direct exposure to the fruit and then remove the outer layer of the sun treatment.

Honey treatment is somewhere in between, the outer layer of the fruit will be partially removed, and part of the pectin layer will be retained and dried.

Why is it called honey? Maybe it's because "pectin layer-treated coffee" sounds unappetizing. Unless someone knows how to handle it, the pectin layer is a highly sweet, thick, honey-like substance, and even if the name of this treatment has nothing to do with flavor, honey-treated coffee is known for its high sweetness.

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