Roasting Costa Rican honeys without flattening the acidity

By The Coffee Company CR Cupping Lab

Honey-processed lots from the mid-altitude West Valley — 1,200 to 1,500 metres — carry a sweetness that's easy to bury under a roast profile built for washed coffee. Several of our roasting partners have converged on similar development-time ratios, and it's worth writing down why.

Development ratio: aim for 18–20%

White and yellow honey lots hold up well at a development time of 18-20% of total roast time, first crack to drop. Push past 22% and the mucilage sugars caramelize hard enough to mute the citric acidity that makes these lots distinctive in the cup.

Red and black honeys need a gentler finish

Denser mucilage coverage on red and black honey lots means more sugar at the surface of the bean. A slightly lower charge temperature and a longer, gentler finish — rather than a fast push through the Maillard phase — keeps the finish clean instead of jammy.

As always, these are starting points from our own cupping table, not a formula — every roaster's airflow and drum size will shift the numbers slightly.