What Does Yunnan Red Honey Process SOE Coffee Taste Like?
Luckin Coffee completed procurement of 1,000 tons of Yunnan specialty beans from the 2020/2021 crop, sourced from Baoshan and Pu'er at altitudes above 1,300 meters with SCA scores of at least 80. The beans use a double anaerobic fermentation red honey process, with two fermentation stages from fresh fruit to drying, and the rhythm controlled by tracking color, aroma, pH, and sugar content.
The purchase followed the Little Black Cup SOE Yirgacheffe launch and marks a further step into specialty coffee. Large day-to-night temperature swings and steady rainfall in Yunnan coffee regions help produce dense green beans, and the honey process shapes the sweetness and body expected in an SOE cup. The article reviews the region, main varieties, and how honey processing is classified.
Luckin Coffee recently completed its procurement plan for 1,000 tons of Yunnan specialty coffee beans from the 2020/2021 crop season. The green beans selected come from the two major producing regions of Baoshan and Pu'er, all grown at altitudes above 1,300 meters, with SCA scores no lower than 80 points. This marks another move by Luckin in the specialty coffee field, following the Little Black Cup SOE Yirgacheffe. This batch of Yunnan beans uses a double anaerobic fermentation red honey process, going through two anaerobic fermentation stages from fresh fruit to drying, with the fermentation rhythm controlled by monitoring color, aroma, pH value, and sugar content. This article will systematically review the producing region conditions and main variety characteristics of Yunnan coffee, and provide an in-depth analysis of the classification, process, and flavor performance of the honey processing method, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a comprehensive understanding of the true taste and quality characteristics of Yunnan red honey processed SOE.
Introduction
Luckin Coffee and its partners have completed the purchase of 1,000 tons of Yunnan specialty coffee beans from the new 2020/2021 crop season. This batch of specialty beans originates from the two major producing regions of Baoshan and Pu'er in Yunnan. To ensure quality and flavor standards were met, Luckin selected green coffee beans with SCA scores of 80 or above from growing areas at altitudes above 1,300 meters.
Following the launch of its high-end product line "Little Black Cup SOE Yirgacheffe" in 2020, this procurement of Yunnan specialty coffee beans became another key move in advancing Luckin's specialty coffee strategy. The beans purchased come from growing areas in Baoshan and Pu'er with an average altitude exceeding 1,300 meters, where significant temperature differences between day and night and abundant rainfall are conducive to producing high-density green coffee beans. In terms of processing method, Luckin adopted a double fermentation honey process. From receiving the fresh fruit to final drying, the coffee underwent two different anaerobic fermentation environments, during which the fermentation cycle was determined by observing changes in bean color, aromatic substances, pH value, and sugar content.
Yunnan Coffee
Western and southern Yunnan Province lie between 15 degrees north latitude and the Tropic of Cancer, with most areas at altitudes ranging from 1,000 to 2,000 meters. The terrain is dominated by mountains and slopes with pronounced undulation, fertile soil, abundant sunshine, plentiful rainfall, and large temperature differences between day and night. These unique natural conditions give Yunnan arabica coffee its special flavor profile: rich but not bitter, aromatic but not harsh, with a slight fruity note.
The most widely planted coffee in Yunnan is currently Catimor. The Baoshan region still retains a small amount of Typica and Bourbon cultivation. Although they all belong to the arabica species in broad classification, there are significant inherent differences among these varieties.
Typica is the most classic high-quality arabica variety, and many of today's commercial improved varieties originated from it. Typica coffee beans have excellent flavor performance and are recognized as a specialty coffee variety, but yields are very low, and it is susceptible to rust disease, requiring more manpower for management. Typica originated in Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan and is the most widely cultivated coffee variety in the Western Hemisphere. The plant is relatively robust but not tolerant of strong sunlight, and yields are higher in Hawaii. Typica's top leaves are copper-red in color, which is why it is called red-top coffee.
The Bourbon variety originated from Typica and gradually spread after being planted by the French on Bourbon Island (now Réunion Island) in 1708. Bourbon also has beautiful aroma and rich flavor. Compared to Typica, it has higher yield and growth vigor, and is suitable for cultivation at altitudes of 1,200 to 2,000 meters, but its resistance to pests and diseases is weaker, and it is relatively sensitive to strong winds and heavy rainfall. Bourbon is the second most important variety of arabica after Typica. The main branches initially grow upward at a 45-degree angle to the trunk, then droop under the weight of fruit. The lateral branch nodes are relatively dense, with abundant fruit and higher yield, but the berries are smaller and ripen more slowly. Bourbon's terminal buds and young leaves are green, which is why it is called green-top coffee.
The widely planted Catimor, however, is not of pure arabica lineage. It is a hybrid of Timor (belonging to the robusta species) and Caturra (a Bourbon variety), so Catimor carries 25% robusta bloodline. This lineage also determines its flavor deficiencies: insufficient aroma complexity, a generally heavier bitterness, and a tendency toward astringency and a rather pungent musty taste.
Introduction to Honey Processing
Traditional Honey Processing Method Procedure 1. Same as the first step of washed processing, first place all coffee cherries into water, skim off floating beans and defective beans, and retain high-quality fruit.
2. Place the selected coffee cherries directly onto raised drying beds to dry for at least three days, reducing the fruit moisture content to 20%.
3. Then send the dried coffee beans into a depulper to remove the skin and pulp while retaining the mucilage. This is also the reason honey-processed coffee beans have a prominent sweetness—mucilage is the part of the coffee fruit with the highest sugar content.
4. Next, dry the coffee beans with the mucilage retained until the moisture content drops to 11%, at which point they can be stored in the warehouse.
According to Front Street, honey processing is also classified according to how much mucilage is retained. Typically, coffee beans with 40% of the mucilage removed are called yellow honey; those with 25% of the mucilage removed are called red honey; and those with 100% of the mucilage retained are called black honey.
Honey-processed green coffee beans require extra attention during the drying process. Because residual mucilage remains on the bean surface, there will be a large amount of sticky material, and the beans must be constantly turned during drying to prevent mold and over-fermentation.
Advantages: The honey processing method is an improved form of the natural method. Because the pulp is removed from the start, it is less prone to mold problems, and it does not require large amounts of clean water, resulting in lower costs.
Disadvantages: The processing steps can be said to be the most complex and labor-intensive of all processing methods.
Flavor of Honey-Processed Coffee As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, the honey processing method can enhance coffee's sweetness, relatively reduce acidity, and produce a more delicate aroma. Of course, this is on the premise that honey processing is carried out properly; if poorly executed, it will taste of unpleasant acetic acid, similar to the pungent flavor of onion or garlic. Even when executed quite well, it will still carry some earthy notes, the aftertaste will not be clean enough, and the off-flavors will be heavier than in general washed methods. Therefore, overall, the risk of using the honey processing method is much higher than that of general wet processing methods.
Secondly, the honey processing method is further divided by color into three types: "yellow honey," "red honey," and "black honey." What are the differences between them? FrontStreet Coffee will now explain this for coffee enthusiast friends.
What are the differences between "yellow honey," "red honey," and "black honey"?
Black honey: Almost no mucilage is removed, so drying takes the longest, requiring more than 14 consecutive days. During the process, to prevent drying too quickly, covers are used to block excessively strong sunlight, allowing sugar conversion to be more complete.
Red honey: 25% of the mucilage is removed (specific practices vary by estate), sun drying lasts about 12 days, and shade nets may also be used during the process. The coffee is turned several times a day, but not as frequently as with yellow honey.
Yellow honey: 40% of the mucilage is removed, receives the most sunlight for drying, lasts about 8 days, and the coffee is placed on raised beds and turned once per hour.
Therefore, from yellow honey to black honey, the required drying time is longer, and the management requirements become increasingly stringent. If one must rank the three, FrontStreet Coffee believes that black honey tastes the best, because the greatest amount of mucilage is retained, giving it the richest and most intense mouthfeel. Yellow honey and red honey are produced because coffee farmers also need to consider costs and prices from a commercial perspective, and providing consumers with multiple choices is also feasible.
For this batch, Luckin Coffee adopted a double anaerobic fermentation red honey process that differs from the traditional method, inspired by red wine fermentation: after harvesting, flotation is performed, and the first fermentation takes place at the fruit stage in a sealed anaerobic environment; immediately afterward, the pulp and part of the mucilage are removed, and a second fermentation takes place in an anaerobic environment; finally, drying reduces the moisture content to 11%.
For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of FrontStreet Coffee. WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
