What is white honey processing?

White honey processing is the lightest category of honey processing - almost all of the mucilage is removed after pulping, leaving only a very thin layer or near-clean parchment surface before drying. In some definitions, white honey involves no deliberate fermentation step at all.

The result sits very close to washed processing in flavour character: clean, bright, and relatively low in fruit intensity, but with drying happening without the washing step of conventional washed processing. The slight mucilage retention can contribute a subtle sweetness and slightly fuller body than a comparable fully washed coffee.

White honey is produced primarily in Costa Rica and is the least fruit-forward and most commercially predictable of the honey categories. For roasters wanting to offer a honey-processed coffee to customers who prefer cleaner cup profiles - or as a first step into explaining the honey processing spectrum - it's a practical place to start.