What is Honey Processed Coffee? (No, it doesn't contain honey!)

If you've looked at the labels on our coffee bags lately, you may have come across the term Honey Process – or honey-processed coffee in Swedish.

It sounds incredibly luxurious and sweet, and it's easy to believe that coffee farmers have drizzled honey over the beans during drying. But the truth is actually quite different. "Honey" instead refers to an ingenious artisanal method that gives the coffee a completely unique sweetness and fullness.

In this blog post, we'll find out what honey process actually means, why it's called that, and how it affects the taste in your cup of coffee.

👉 Do you want to learn more about specialty coffee?

https://hallakafferosteri.com/blogg/vad-ar-specialkaffe

The bridge between washed and natural coffee

To understand the honey process, we can see it as a golden mean between the two most common ways of processing coffee:

1. Washed coffee: All pulp and mucus are washed away before the beans are dried. This produces a clean, fresh and acidic coffee.

2. Dry coffee (Natural): The entire coffee berry is dried intact with the bean inside. Produces a very fruity and full-bodied coffee.

In a Honey Process , a mixture is made. The outer skin of the coffee berry is peeled off, but a certain amount of the sticky, sugary mucus layer (called mucilage ) is left on the bean while it dries.

When this mucus layer dries in the sun, it becomes extremely sticky and turns a golden color – it looks and feels exactly like honey! That’s where the name comes from.

The different colors: White, Yellow, Red and Black Honey

When you buy honey-processed coffee, you will often see a color code. The color reveals how much of the sweet mucilage was left on the bean, and how much sunlight they received during drying. It is a high-level precision craft!

What does honey processed coffee taste like?

Because the coffee bean dries surrounded by its own natural fruit sugars, it absorbs lots of sweetness.

When you drink a honey coffee from, for example, Costa Rica or El Salvador, you can expect:

• A natural and round sweetness (think cane sugar, maple syrup or honey tones).

• A softer acidity compared to fully washed coffees.

• A creamy mouthfeel and a full body.

• Clear hints of stone fruits such as apricot, plum or red apples.

It is the perfect coffee for those who want a smooth, sweet and balanced cup without bitterness.

Eco-friendly and artisanal

Besides the great taste, there is another great advantage of the honey process: it saves water .

Fully washing coffee beans requires enormous amounts of running water to flush away the mucilage. Because the honey process mechanically peels the fruit and allows the mucilage to dry in place, minimal water is used, making the method a more sustainable choice in regions where water is in short supply.

Find your favorite at Hälla Coffee Roastery

Roasting a honey-processed coffee requires a lot of finesse. Because the beans have so much natural sugar on the outside, they caramelize more quickly in the roasting drum. At Hälla Kafferosteri, we always adjust the roast profile to preserve the unique fruity sweetness without roasting the coffee too dark.

Are you curious to try it? Look out for our "Honey" branded bags in the webshop. They fit just as well in your filter coffee maker as a modern, sweeter espresso!

👉 Explore our range in our webshop:

https://hallakafferosteri.com

Have a nice day!
/ Kaj and Dan, Hälla Coffee Roastery