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Jber Coffee LimitedGreen Coffee · Origin Supply

Green coffee

Honey Process Green Coffee

Honey lots sit between washed and natural in both process and cup. They are the smallest category we handle, and this page is deliberately clear about what that means for availability.
Origins
Rwanda · Burundi · Tanzania · Ethiopia
Method
Mucilage retained
Availability
Lot-specific
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A worker turning coffee with a wooden rake across a drying yard, moving the layer so it dries evenly.
Photo: Trevin Jensen

Quick answer

Honey processed coffee is pulped but dried with a controlled fraction of mucilage still on the parchment. East African production is small, lot-specific and season-specific — it should be confirmed against the current crop rather than assumed available, and parcels are typically small.

What you are buying

The honey process page covers the mechanics. Commercially, the essentials are: more sweetness and body than a washed lot from the same station, more clarity and structure than a natural, and a rounded rather than sharp acidity.

Designations and what they indicate
DesignationMucilage retainedCup tendencyExecution risk
Yellow honeyLeastClosest to washed; clean with added sweetnessLower
Red honeyModerateBalanced; more body and stone fruitModerate
Black honeyMostClosest to natural; dense and syrupyHighest
These designations are not a regulated standard. One station’s red honey is another’s black — ask for the mucilage fraction and the drying regime rather than relying on the colour word.

Availability, honestly

Small volumes, confirmed per crop

Honey processing requires very frequent turning in the first 48 hours, thin bed loading and substantial bed occupancy. That combination caps production. East African honey lots are produced in small quantities across Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania and Ethiopia, and are usually a station’s deliberate separation rather than its main line. Treat any honey requirement as something to confirm against the current crop.

There is a useful signal in that constraint: a station capable of executing honey processing well has the labour, the bed space and the discipline to run tight separations generally. It is often worth buying their washed coffee too.

Specifying a honey lot

Mucilage fraction
Ask for the percentage left on, not just the colour name
Drying regime
Duration, shade management, turning frequency in the first 48 hours
Water activity
Particularly important — honey lots can hold moisture unevenly
Parcel size
Confirm early; separations are typically small
Packaging
Hermetic liner strongly advisable
Cup approval
On a representative sample, as for naturals

Honey lot enquiries

Tell us the origin and profile. We will tell you what the current crop has actually produced rather than quoting against a category.

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Last reviewed 2 min read

Availability

Current Honey Process Coffee

Availability moves with the harvest, with milling and with prior commitments. Everything here is confirmed against the current crop on enquiry.

All current availability

Request current honey process coffee availability

Lots change throughout the crop cycle. Send the origin, grade, screen and volume you are working to and we will come back with what is actually available.

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Quality

How we evaluate honey process coffee

Every parcel is assessed on the same sequence before it is offered, and again before it is loaded. What is reported for a given lot depends on what the buyer specifies.

A cupping table in use: two hands breaking the crust with cupping spoons across coded sample bowls.
Photo: René Porter
Green Coffee Quality Control
  1. 01Physical gradePreparation class against the origin’s own system
  2. 02Screen distributionRetention plus the percentage passing
  3. 03Defect analysisFull defects per 300 g on a stated weighting table
  4. 04MoistureRange plus the measurement method and instrument
  5. 05Water activityWhere the buyer specifies it, for storage stability
  6. 06DensityBulk density in g/L, for roast planning
  7. 07Sample roastTo a cupping profile, not a commercial roast
  8. 08CuppingMultiple cups, against the approved sample
  9. 09Buyer approvalThe retained sample the shipment is measured against

Export

Packaging and export

Packaging is specified at contract stage rather than requested afterwards, because it changes both the price and the container arithmetic. Four of our six origins are landlocked, which makes the inland leg the largest single source of schedule variance — shipment windows are built around port arrival, not mill readiness.

Jute coffee sacks stacked on wooden pallets in racking inside a warehouse, tied at the neck with twine.
Photo: Caelen Cockrum

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is honey added to honey processed coffee?
No. The name describes the sticky appearance of mucilage-coated parchment on the drying beds. Nothing is added at any stage.
Can I buy East African honey coffee in container volumes?
Rarely. Production is limited by the bed space and labour the process requires, so lots are typically small. Plan honey purchases as separations confirmed against a specific crop rather than as a continuing programme.
What is the difference between honey and pulped natural?
They describe the same process. "Pulped natural" is the older term associated with Brazil; "honey" with Central America. Both mean the cherry was pulped and dried with some mucilage attached.

Keep reading

Related technical guides

The reference material behind the specification fields on this page.

Request an offer

Tell us the honey process coffee you need

Origin, region, process, grade, screen, moisture, defect tolerance, crop year and packaging. Send what you know and we will confirm what each origin realistically supports for the current crop.

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