Yellow, Red, & Black Honey Processed Coffees: What’s The Difference?

“How much honey is in the honey-processed Costa Rican espresso?”

If that sounds like a riddle, don’t worry. You’re probably familiar with seeing coffees labeled “honey processed”, “natural processed”, and “washed process”. You may have heard of “red honey” or “black honey”. But it’s less common to see these distinctions made at your local café. So today we’re going to break down the different types of honey processing.

To do this, I spoke to Cesar Magana of Finca Lechuza in El Salvador and Francisco Mena and Wayner Jimenez of Finca Sumava in Costa Rica. All three of these producers are passionate about honey processing, and and Francisco has been hugely influential in Costa Rica’s micro mill revolution. Today he exports coffee from almost a hundred different small lot farmers in Costa Rica, as well as managing Finca Sumava. Here’s what I learned.

SEE ALSO: Everything You Need to Know About Honey Processing

Honey in the making! Credits: Menachem Gancz

What Is Honey Processing?

(Know your honey? Skip straight to the next section, Yellow, Red, & Black Honey: What’s The Difference?)

Coffee beans aren’t actually beans at all. They’re the seeds of coffee cherries. Yes, that’s right. Your favorite caffeinated beverage comes from juicy red (or sometimes yellow or orange) fruit.

But before the “beans” can be roasted, the layers of the coffee cherry must be removed and then the beans dried to around 11% moisture content. The two most common methods of removing the cherry are removing it with water (washed processing) and letting the coffees dry in the sun before mechanically removing it (natural/dry processing).

Honey processing, however, is somewhere in the middle. The cherry peel is removed but some amount of the fleshy inside, the “mucilage”, remains while the beans are dried.

Breakdown of a coffee cherry. Credit: Danielle Kilbride

So why is it called honey? Well, it might have been called the much-less-appetising “mucilage processed coffee” if it weren’t for one lucky coincidence. Mucilage is extremely sweet and sticky, like honey. And while the name has nothing to do with the taste, these coffees are known for their sweet flavors.

Yellow, Red, & Black Honey: What’s The Difference?

So now we know what honey processing is, it’s time to look at the different kinds of honeys. These descriptions might be rare on coffee packaging, but you’ll find producers and exporters referring to coffees as white honey, yellow honey, gold honey, red honey, and black honey.

Simply put, the white and yellow honeys have less mucilage left after being mechanically washed. Gold, red, and black honey coffees, on the other hand, have much more mucilage remaining. This leads to a fuller-bodied coffee.

Can the descriptions be broken down further? Roughly speaking, yes. But honey processing is affected by humidity, heat, and the oxidation of sugar – and these things don’t provide an exact formula. Approximately, different honey processed coffees break down in the following manner:

White & Yellow Honey

White honey coffees tend to be mechanically washed, with minimal mucilage left around the bean. Yellow honey coffees are often semi-washed, and slightly more mucilage will typically be left around the bean.

There will be some variations in what these terms mean from farm to farm, however. These labels are useful, but it’s good to also discuss the exact processes used when buying or selling beans. This way you’ll avoid any miscommunications.

White honey, unique and complex. Credits: Caffé Pecora

Gold, Red, & Black Honey

What differentiates these three is the amount of light and drying time the beans are exposed for. More humidity and a slower development lead to black honey. Slightly less humidity leads to red, and even less to gold.

Gold honey will be dried during warm, sunny times with little humidity. This helps it to dry quickly. Red honey, however, is processed under more shade to slow down the drying time. This will increase the amount of humidity the beans are exposed to. And black honey takes even longer, and is dried under even more shade.

Black honey coffee, rich in body, flavorful, laborious, and expensive. Credits: Gold Mountain Coffee Growers

Why Process Darker Honeys?

The darker the honey, the more work is involved. Black honey processed coffees require constant monitoring to avoid over-fermentation and mold developing. They also typically have greater potential to lose freshness. As of such, they should be roasted as soon as the green beans arrive at the roastery, especially if you want to capture the sweet honey flavors.

So if black honey is so much hard work, why do it? Because the darker honeys come across well in espresso, where it almost tastes as if someone added a drop of honey to your cup. White and yellow processed coffees, in contrast, tend to have a cleaner taste when prepared as filter.

Black honey processing in Costa Rica. Credit: OR Coffee

How Do Producers Control Honey Processing?

I asked Francisco, Wayner, and Cesar how they control their honey processing to achieve the right color. They explained that it needs a lot of effort. Throughout the 60-90-day harvest season, they do visual inspections on the patio/beds and collect samples.

Francisco is in a unique position because he is both an exporter and a farmer. The epitome of practicing what he preaches, he’s constantly searching for ways to improve the coffee industry in Costa Rica. And so he’s started a new trend: color-coding drying beds.

These beds assist farmers throughout the drying process, enabling them to identify the beans and continue to process them appropriately. He shares charts explaining the color system with other fincas who have also adopted it. And it’s his aim for all farms, mills, and even roasters to use it.

Colour-coded drying beds. Credit: Francisco Mena

What Different Honeys Processes Mean For You

As a producer, are you considering classifying your honey processed coffee even farther? If you’re a roaster, are your importers and direct trade partners educating you on the best way to highlight the work they are putting into their coffee? If you’re a consumer, are you looking for coffees that with notes of dried fruit or chocolate?

Or, as a marketing professional, how are you informing your audiences about the differences between the processing styles? Explaining the intricacies of different honey processes to consumers without overwhelming them is a challenge. A quick one-liner seems reductive. Could an infographic or a visual chart be the way forwards?

Coffee has an extensive story to tell. With the many different processing methods and flavor characteristics available, the nuances of different honey processes are precious. I hope they’ll have the opportunity to be both highlighted and appreciated.

Written by Danielle Kilbride, with thanks to Cesar Magana, Francisco Mena, and Wayner Jimenez.

Exclusive Coffee is a sponsor of Perfect Daily Grind. This interview was conducted in accordance with our editorial policies, and [company name] has had no greater influence on the final copy than any of our other interviewees.

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