Honey processing splits the difference: the skin is pulped off like a washed coffee, but some of the sweet, sticky mucilage is left clinging to the bean as it dries. The amount left on — and the resulting colour, from white through yellow and red to black honey — dial in how much fruit and body the cup carries. The result keeps much of washed coffee's clarity while gaining a rounded, syrupy sweetness. Costa Rica's micromills made the style famous.
How it works, step by step
- 1Pick ripe cherries
- 2Pulp off the skin only
- 3Leave some sticky mucilage on the bean
- 4Dry slowly, turning to prevent over-fermentation
