Red Honey

Red honey leaves roughly half of the fruit mucilage on the parchment and dries the beans under partial shade or cloud cover, which slows drying and lets the sugars in the remaining mucilage develop longer. The result tends to be a fuller-bodied cup than yellow honey, with pronounced syrupy sweetness. The slower drying demands more attention: with more mucilage present, the risk of over-fermentation or mold rises, so beans are turned and sorted more frequently. Red honey is a common middle path for Costa Rican and Central American producers who want depth beyond the yellow rung without the near-natural labor of black honey. Flavor tendencies: syrupy sweetness, moderate fruit, fuller body.