What is Honey Process Coffee? The Sweet Spot Between Natural and Washed
If you've been exploring specialty coffee, you've probably come across the term "honey process" — and wondered what on earth honey has to do with it. (Spoiler: there's no actual honey involved.) But once you understand what's really happening, you'll understand why honey process coffees are some of the most exciting, complex, and satisfying cups you can drink.
Honey process sits right in the middle ground between natural and fully washed coffee. It takes the best of both worlds — and the result is something truly special.
What is Honey Process Coffee? The Sweet Spot Between Natural and Washed
If you've been exploring specialty coffee, you've probably come across the term "honey process" — and wondered what on earth honey has to do with it. (Spoiler: there's no actual honey involved.) But once you understand what's really happening, you'll understand why honey process coffees are some of the most exciting, complex, and satisfying cups you can drink.
Honey process sits right in the middle ground between natural and fully washed coffee. It takes the best of both worlds — and the result is something truly special.
What Happens During Drying?
Once the skin is removed and that layer of mucilage remains, the beans are spread out to dry — usually on raised African beds or patios, where air can circulate around them. They'll stay there for several weeks, turned carefully and regularly to ensure even drying and prevent mould or over-fermentation.
As the beans dry, the sugars in that mucilage layer slowly work their way into the bean itself. It's a slower, more controlled process than the natural method — but the result is a coffee with real sweetness and body, without the winey intensity you often find in a natural.
The more mucilage left on the bean, the sweeter and more complex the cup. Processors can choose how much to leave — which is why you'll sometimes see honey process coffees labelled as Yellow, Red, or Black Honey, referring to how much mucilage remains and how long they're dried.
What Does It Taste Like?
Honey process coffees sit beautifully between the clean brightness of a washed coffee and the fruity richness of a natural. Expect:
- Sweetness — often caramel, brown sugar, stone fruit, or toffee notes
- Body — silky and smooth, with more weight than a washed coffee
- Complexity — layers that develop as the cup cools
- Balance — less wild than a natural, but far more interesting than a washed
They're incredibly approachable — great for people who find natural process coffees too intense, but want more personality than a fully washed cup delivers.
Who Will Love Honey Process Coffee?
Honey process is ideal if you:
- Love a sweet, smooth cup with real depth
- Enjoy coffee with milk but want flavour that isn't lost
- Find fully washed coffees a little thin or bright
- Find natural process coffees too fruity or intense
- Are somewhere in the middle — curious, but not ready to go full natural
It's also fantastic as espresso. That sweetness and body translate beautifully into a milk drink — a flat white or latte with a honey process bean is something else entirely.
From Farm to Cup
Every honey process coffee is the result of careful, deliberate work at origin. Getting it right requires precise timing, constant monitoring of the drying beds, the right climate, and the experience to know when a batch is ready. Too much moisture and the coffee risks mould. Too little and the sugars don't develop properly.
It's labour-intensive — but that's exactly why the cup rewards you so generously.
When you taste a honey process coffee, you're tasting the patience of the farmer, the judgement of the processor, and the care of everyone who handled those cherries along the way.
At Microroastery, Nick roasts every honey process coffee fresh to order — never sitting on a shelf, always at its very best when it reaches you.
While we don't always have honey process in stock, we roast a rotating selection of exceptional single origin coffees — there's always something worth discovering.
Explore what's freshly roasted and available now →