If you've read about coffee botany before, you'll know that coffee beans are the seeds in a coffee berry. After harvesting, the coffee berries go through a refining process in which the skin and pulp are removed so that you are left with the raw coffee bean. We call this processing. The point at which the skin and pulp are removed from the coffee bean varies, and it is this that forms the basis for the different methods of processing coffee.
The three most common processing methods for coffee are berry-dried, partially berry-dried and wet-processed. There are also localised methods, such as honey processing. How the coffee is processed has an impact on its flavour. By tasting several types of coffee, you will eventually recognise the differences in the typical flavour characteristics of the various processing methods.
Local processing method from Costa Rica
Honey processing originated in Costa Rica and is a partially berry-dried coffee. This means that the skin of the ripe coffee berry is removed but the pulp is left around the bean when it dries, as opposed to washing it away (wet processing) or drying the whole berry with the skin on (berry-dried). Drying the bean with pulp on adds fruitiness and sweetness to the flavour.
The amount of pulp left around the coffee bean during honey processing varies. Sometimes the bean is covered in a thick layer, other times only a little is left. Coffee farmers find the amount that best suits their beans. "Honey" refers to the sticky layer of sugar that remains around the bean and feels like honey.
The processing is divided into colours based on drying time and how much flesh remains around the bean, from least to most: white, yellow, red and black. The darker the colour of the bean, the more pulp it has had around it. The more pulp around the bean, the longer it needs to dry. The combination of these parameters provides exciting flavour possibilities within the different degrees of honey processing.
Coffee country Costa Rica
Although honey processing originated in Costa Rica, they also process wet-processed and berry-dried coffee. Costa Rica is a technical coffee country with a strong focus on farmer knowledge. The coffee farms tend to be small, family-run and well-managed, where knowledge has been passed down through generations. They often own their own micro mills so that the farmers have the opportunity to work with their beans from start to finish. We have good relationships with several coffee farmers in the country through many years of cooperation and are proud to be able to offer coffee from some of Costa Rica's finest coffee producers.
