Special Processing: White Honey Process (by Wilder Lasso)

This week, we are launching a new coffee processed by Wilder Lasso. We could easily dedicate an entire blog post to the famous Nestor Lasso and Wilder Lasso brothers, but since our blog focuses more on coffee education, we’ll concentrate on the processing method instead.

Honey processing is nothing new in the specialty coffee world, but the differences between its various styles and names are less well known. That’s why we’re sharing this short explanation.

While naturally processed coffees are dried inside a fully intact cherry and washed coffees are dried after all the fruit has been removed, pulped natural or “honey” processed coffees lie somewhere in the middle. The term “honey” can be misleading as there is no actual honey involved. The term instead refers to the yellowish color of coffee cherries when they are de-pulped at the wet mill.

This White Honey process is interesting for those who likes fruitier coffees, but not want too many fermenty/barn yard flavors. The remaining mucilage imparts some fruity characteristics to the coffee during drying, but the limited degree of fruity residue can help protect the final product from undesirable boozy flavors. The producer can elect to leave any level of fruit on the seeds during drying, depending on what sort of flavor profile they want the coffee to take on. Modern coffee has devised colorful descriptors when referring to a coffee’s processing background, which cleverly depict just how much fruit has been left on for the drying stage – they are listed here, from the most residue to the least: Black Honey, Red Honey, Yellow Honey, and White Honey. 

You’ll find this outstanding coffee in all our bars and at many of our client locations, as well as online for home baristas. Despite its quality, it’s refreshingly affordable — particularly when you consider that some Lasso coffees reach prices up to ten times higher than ours.

€14,5/250 g

€56/1 kg