In the current Vietnamese coffee market, alongside the familiar traditional Arabica and Robusta lines, Robusta Honey coffee is increasingly attracting attention and being widely loved. So what exactly is Robusta Honey? What is the origin of this special type of coffee? Let’s explore in detail about this Robusta Honey coffee!
What is Robusta Honey coffee?
In coffee classification, we know that Robusta appeared about a century later than Arabica. Currently, Robusta is the main type of coffee in Vietnam while Arabica is favored worldwide.
Robusta (also known as Canephora coffee) is a coffee variety that possesses a relatively high caffeine concentration. The caffeine content in this type of coffee ranges from 3% to 4% per bean (compared to Arabica which only has 1% – 2%). Precisely because of this high caffeine content, besides being used for brewing and drinking, Robusta is also often used to enhance flavor and create an attractive Crema layer for Italian coffees (Espresso).
Robusta Honey (sometimes mistakenly thought that this method uses honey to mix with coffee) is a type of coffee created from 100% Robusta beans and processed using the Honey method.
Unlike wet-processed coffee which removes all the mucilage layer on the coffee bean surface, the Honey processing method (semi-wet processing) is a method that removes the coffee hull and then sun-dries it without needing fermentation, so the coffee beans still retain the silk flesh layer on the outside.
After being dried, the parchment has a color close to wet-processed coffee or dark brown, this very thing explains the origin of the name “honey coffee”, meaning it has a color similar to honey color. Besides that, the product name can be white honey “white honey” or dark brown honey “black honey” depending on the ratio of mucilage remaining on the dried parchment.
To create a color similar to honey for the dried parchment is to utilize the mucilage layer that contains quite a lot of sugar (8-12%), choosing the appropriate timing so that it soaks into the coffee kernel during processing and makes the kernel after roasting have better aroma and taste. (The aroma and taste of coffee are usually created from Maillard reactions, caramelization reactions involving sugar participation).
In summary, Honey Robusta is processed from Robusta coffee using the Honey method. The name Robusta Honey coffee (honey coffee) is not due to mixing with real honey, but because the color of this type of coffee has a yellow tone like natural honey. Therefore, the coffee name will change depending on the intensity of the peel color:
This color is formed based on the ratio of mucilage remaining on the parchment during processing.
Development history of the Honey processing method
Robusta coffee was first discovered in Belgian Congo in the early 1800s of the 19th century. This plant has the same origin as Arabica in Ethiopia but previously often grew in wild places. Therefore, Robusta trees are taller, have more branches and larger leaves compared to Arabica. After 1900, this variety was brought to Southeast Asia to combat leaf rust disease and later became the main crop variety of this country. In Vietnam, Robusta coffee variety accounts for up to 90% of the country’s total coffee production.
About 10 years ago, Costa Rica and Panama developed the honey coffee processing method and this trend began to develop when small roasters in Japan and the United States interested in peak coffee quality started collaborating with small producers in Costa Rica and Panama to supply the upscale customer community.
Catching up with the trend of the times, some production facilities in Vietnam have also applied the Honey processing method to Robusta coffee variety, successfully creating Robusta Honey coffee beans, opening up new heights for Vietnam’s coffee industry.
Robusta Honey processing procedure
Each stage in the Robusta Honey coffee processing procedure deeply affects the flavor. If completed properly, a cup of Robusta Honey coffee will have a sweet aftertaste like honey and natural sugar.
In overview, the Honey coffee processing method (semi-wet processing) is performed by removing the coffee hull, keeping the mucilage layer surrounding the robusta coffee beans and then drying naturally on racks for 10 – 14 days.
Details of specific Robusta Honey coffee processing steps are as follows:
Step 1: Harvesting, selecting ripe fruits
- Fresh coffee fruits are hand-picked, carefully removing unripe or damaged fruits to keep high-quality coffee beans.
- After picking, Robusta coffee is filtered through specialized machines, helping to further remove green fruits, dry fruits, branches and leaves, raising the ripe fruit ratio to 100%.
Step 2: Washing clean, pulping, fermentation
- After selection, ripe coffee fruits will be put through pulping machines to separate the outer skin layer, keeping the mucilage layer rich in natural sugar and fruit flesh surrounding the kernel.
- Because this mucilage layer contains a lot of natural sugar (the riper the fruit, the more sugar), it will gradually soak into the coffee kernel during processing and make the coffee after roasting have fragrant aroma and sweet taste.
Step 3: Natural sun-drying on racks
- Drying coffee on racks is an important stage that helps coffee beans achieve the best quality.
- Coffee beans will be spread evenly on clean drying racks under natural sunlight for 10 to 14 days, not only ensuring hygiene but also helping beans dry evenly and more quickly.
- When drying under sunlight, the flesh layer surrounding the beans gradually dries and gradually absorbs natural sugar into the coffee beans, creating characteristic natural sweetness and having a color close to honey color.
Note: Throughout this process, controlling the moisture content of the beans is very important to avoid mold or damage.
During the Robusta Honey coffee production process, farmers face many difficulties due to complex techniques, requiring large areas as well as abundant labor for the drying stage. However, all these challenges are worthily rewarded, because Robusta Honey brings pure coffee cups with sweet taste, rich and fragrant, creating higher economic value.
Flavor characteristics of Robusta Honey
In terms of flavor, true to the name Robusta Honey that it represents, very robust, very honey, meaning very strong, containing a lot of caffeine (3-4% per bean) to help you stay alert but still carrying a strange sweet freshness.
The highlight of Robusta Honey is that although it has fruit flavor, it’s not as intense as Natural (Dry) processing or as sour as Full Wash (wet) processing but balances both these factors. Robusta Honey cups will have the characteristic sweetness of natural honey, aroma of ripe fruits, light sourness and the distinctive bitterness of coffee.
Read more: 3 Popular Green Coffee Bean Processing Methods
Robusta White Honey – Gentle elegant sweet taste
White Honey (white honey) is a type of coffee that has the most mucilage removed during processing, only keeping about 10-25% of the mucilage layer. This creates the characteristic light bright color when the beans are dry.
In terms of flavor, White Honey brings a delicate balance between the cleanliness of wet processing and the light sweetness of dry processing. The main flavor is gentle light sweetness, moderate acidity, medium body with clean aftertaste. This is a suitable choice for those who are just starting to get acquainted with Honey coffee line or like gentle flavor that’s not too complex.
Robusta Red Honey – Strong sweet taste
Robusta Red honey is a variant that keeps 50-75% of the mucilage layer. As the name suggests, with its characteristic dark red color, robusta red honey leaves an extremely strong impression in terms of flavor. Preserving more mucilage during processing creates an extremely eye-catching dark red color when dry, making the sweetness that soaks deep through the shell more intense, the flavor clearer and the aftertaste lingering longer compared to White Honey.
Robusta Black Honey – Rich sweet chocolate flavor
The Black Honey processing method keeps almost 100% of the mucilage/sugar of coffee fruits, once stirring up the coffee-loving community in Costa Rica.
The main characteristic of “Black Honey” coffee beans is strong dark chocolate aroma, roasted almond smell, spices, dried fruits, rich sweetness and prolonged aftertaste.
With the traditional filter brewing method, a filter coffee cup brewed from Natural Black Honey Robusta Coffee will give you a cup full of Chocolate or a rich Caramel brown cup, deeply sweet and settling.
With Espresso Machine and Moka Pot brewing methods, Black Honey beans will give you a completely new experience with Robusta beans. The thick golden crema layer will attract all eyes from the first moment you see this Espresso cup. Then you will feel the rich fruit aroma, sweet without any bitterness!
With the Coldbrew brewing method, this coffee cup can create a rich traditional filter coffee cup, but with a bit of fermentation.
Roasting level Near Dark. With near dark roasting, you will feel the high sweetness from this type of coffee without any bitterness.
Each time enjoying, this flavor will penetrate deep into every sense and leave an aftertaste very long after drinking. Robusta Honey coffee is especially suitable for machine brewing when blended with Arabica or drip brewing for enjoyment. Robusta Honey coffee not only serves men and coffee enthusiasts with characteristic rich bitter taste but is also very popular with women because of its inner sweetness like honey.
Some standards of Robusta Honey Coffee at Hello 5 Coffee:
| Criteria | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Variety | ROBUSTA |
| Elevation | 600 – 800m |
| Process | HONEY PROCESS |
| Ripe Rate | 99-100% |
| Moisture | 12.5% |
| Foreign Matter | 0.1% |
| Black | 0.1% |
| Break | 0.5% |
| Rate on Sieve | 90% |
| Bean size (Sieve) | S16, S18 |
| Season | 2019 – 2020 |
| Packing | 60kg/bag |
Environmental benefits
- Water saving: The HONEY processing method does not need to use water during processing. Therefore, it can be applied in areas lacking water or where clean water sources are not guaranteed.
- Suitable for farms far from factories: The HONEY coffee processing method performed on-site is very suitable for farms far from factories, with difficult and expensive transportation routes. In addition, processing on-site also helps limit coffee fermentation during transportation.
- Economic efficiency: A very important benefit of this method is the economic factor. Investment costs only need to buy a single hulling machine will be much lower than investing in a complex wet processing line. In addition, using drying racks also helps save a large amount of electrical energy and fossil fuels compared to mechanical drying. Therefore, this is currently the most environmentally friendly coffee processing method.
Thus, the above article has helped you answer the question What is Robusta Honey. Hope this information will bring you more interesting choices in your coffee exploration journey. Wishing you always have rich and sweet coffee cups to your taste!
Hello 5 Coffee is a premium coffee brand from Vietnam, specializing in supplying wholesale coffee in large quantities for coffee shops, business cafes, distribution agents and international export. We specialize in providing wholesale coffee in large quantities, and also accept OEM, ODM upon request.
All coffee beans at Hello 5 Coffee are carefully selected from reputable farms in Cau Dat (Lam Dong) and Buon Ma Thuot (Dak Lak). These coffee beans are processed using wet or honey methods – modern techniques that can only be performed at large-scale factories. Thanks to this, coffee beans are always firm and healthy, preserving their inherent essence and bringing superior flavor after roasting. This difference can only be truly felt when brewing and enjoying, not visible to the naked eye. This explains why the same type of coffee from Hello 5 Coffee always has better flavor. Explore our Roasted Coffee products now!
