How many kinds of honey treatment do you know? Which one can make you like black honey, yellow honey and red honey?

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The word honey treatment makes many people think that coffee is treated with honey, or that coffee tastes as sweet as honey, but in fact it is not either of these two explanations. The meaning of honey treatment comes from the sticky pectin layer of coffee beans before exposure, which feels as sticky as honey; when the coffee pulp is separated from the coffee beans, the outer coated pectin layer is exposed to absorb moisture in the air and make the pectin layer sticky.

When the coffee is screened, the pectin layer will remain on the outside of the coffee bean.

Why is honey treatment popular with coffee farmers?

At first, some people saw that this treatment could continuously improve the quality of their coffee beans, and it originated in Costa Rica, and this treatment is now ramming.

So why did Costa Rican coffee farmers plan to treat it with honey in the first place? When coffee farmers want to improve the quality or price of their coffee, they have three choices: change the species of coffee, change the altitude of planting, and change the method of treatment. Just like most people who brew coffee, they will want to use relatively simple ways, such as adjusting the grinding scale and the amount of powder, and then adjusting the amount of water, pressure and temperature of the coffee machine. Most coffee farmers also want to change the treatment method first. Then they will consider planting new tree species or moving the manor, which requires investment of time and money.

Honey treatment is time-consuming and the construction method is exquisite.

Honey treatment is not simple, it takes a long time and must be handled carefully. What are the steps involved in honey processing?

First of all, coffee farmers should select ripe coffee cherries from the coffee tree, and then screen out the outer pulp, as mentioned earlier to retain the pectin layer outside the coffee beans. The pectin layer retains a high proportion of sugar and acid, which are the key to honey treatment.

The following steps are the most complex and exquisite part of honey treatment: exposure. The time must be mastered well, and the length of time is the key. If the exposure time is too short, it is impossible to convert the substance of the pectin layer into the coffee beans, and the time cannot be too long, and the action must be fast to avoid mildew beans caused by internal fermentation.

So how do you strike a balance? Put the beans on the sun scaffolding or cement floor and turn the beans several times per hour for the first few days until they reach the desired moisture content, a step that usually takes 6-10 hours. You need to turn it at least once a day for the next 6-8 days. It takes a lot of time, huh? The reason why honey treatment is so time-consuming is that beans absorb moisture from the air every night, so that it takes more time to expose themselves the next day.

When the coffee is exposed, it is almost as dry and roasted as any other treatment.

Extended Reading: how does fermentation affect the flavor of coffee?

Honey-treated coffee is being exposed on the cement floor.

Why is honey treatment so beautiful?

When honey treatment is so difficult and time-consuming, you may wonder if it's really worth it.

There's no doubt it's worth it.

Honey-treated coffee generally has a great balance of sweetness and acidity, and the flavor is generally not as strong as the coffee in the sun, but it is more fresh and mellow, so why not?

The key to this flavor difference comes from the sugar and acid content of the pectin layer. During exposure, the sugar in the pectin layer becomes more and more concentrated, and these sugars soak into the coffee beans.

Have a cup of honey coffee right away.

Yellow honey, red honey, black honey treatment, where is the difference?

When you want to buy honey-treated coffee, you usually have the choice of yellow honey, red honey and black honey. You may have heard of these honey treatments to retain the percentage of pectin layer, and what does this mean?

Coffee farmers will classify coffee, some will retain less pectin layer so that they can be exposed faster, while others will retain more pectin layer and require longer exposure time. Yellow honey (about 25% of the pectin layer) in order to finish faster during exposure, it must be carried out in the least shaded environment (clouds, shade trees) to get a yellow appearance. Red honey (which retains about 50% of the pectin layer) takes longer and needs some shelter to expose itself. Black honey (which retains about 100% of the pectin layer) is usually covered in order to extend the exposure time.

Coffee is treated with yellow honey, red honey and black honey (from left to right)

Which is better, yellow honey, red honey or black honey?

It may be that black honey is better, the flavor of honey treatment will bring more fine and deep influence because of the residual sugar in pectin layer, and the more residual pectin layer, the stronger the flavor. (this is the view of the author of this article. Coffee seedlings think that each treatment has its own flavor, which varies from person to person. )

However, for coffee producers, they have to face another commercial consideration. Although the benefit of black honey treatment is that better quality and better price coffee can be produced, the risk and cost will also be greatly increased. So that it may affect the willingness of farmers to use black honey treatment. The longer the coffee is exposed to the sun, the more likely it is to breed bacteria during fermentation, resulting in defective moldy beans. The beans need to be flipped more frequently and take up more exposure space, up to twice as much as yellow honey treatment. Not only to make high-quality coffee, but also to let coffee farmers produce the most profitable coffee.

So what does honey treatment mean to you?

Bean baker: the key to honey treatment is to keep the consistency of taste and flavor.

The challenge that bean bakers often face is how to get the beans out of the formula, or to maintain a certain flavor as much as possible, even if most crops cannot be preserved for more than a season. This means that it is necessary to understand not only honey treatment, but also other treatments in order to be helpful for mixed beans. You can swap beans more accurately, create new recipes, and narrow the flavor options you fill when replacing beans.

However, it is still based on the region, treatment, planting altitude and other conditions, there are many different variables to affect and change the final coffee, do not buy it blindly just because it is honey-treated coffee, it may have a great sweet, sour and fruity finish, but it is not always the same.