Finca Principe Azul

Finca Principe Azul is one part of a larger family business consisting of two farms and a small mill. This business is owned and operated by siblings Alexander and Sara with their spouses Gustavo and Magaly Guerra. Located in the West Valley of Costa Rica, their focus is on unique varieties and distinct processing methods at their family’s micromill, Cerro San Luis.

What is the honey process? Despite the name, there is no actual honey involved in the process, as delicious as that sounds. Honey is referring to the sugary fruit mucilage between the coffee cherry’s skin, and the seed’s protective endocarp, or parchment hull. In the honey process, the fruit’s exocarp, or skin is mechanically milled off the fruit, leaving the sticky, sugary mucilage still intact. At this time, the coffee is set out to dry with mucilage still intact. With proper conditions (cool, dry air and nearly contestant turning) the sugary mucilage will begin the process of aerobic fermentation (wild fermentation with oxygen present). This fermentation as the seed dries develops and imparts delicate fruit characteristics on the coffee so that it resembles a flavor middle-ground between natural and washed process coffees.

Typically, honey process coffees are softer and sweeter than washed process coffees, often with a silky mouth-feel, while more balanced and delicate than natural process coffees. However, because there are so many potential variations in the honey process, it can be tough to pin any stereotypes on how coffees processed with this method will taste. You may have heard terms like “yellow honey”, “red honey”, or “black honey”—though the perceived intensity implications of these names are generally applicable, those terms are actually referring to what the seeds look like once they’ve fully dried. Generally, the more mucilage is left on the seed, and the higher the sugar content, the darker the appearance of the parchment. This does not, however, always indicate particular differences in flavor.