How to Brew Honey Process Coffee: Ethiopia Gesha Village Rarities #136 Honey Recipe

Honey process coffee occupies a sweet spot between washed and natural methods — literally. The mucilage (the sticky fruit layer) is left on the bean during drying, infusing the seed with sugars and fruity notes without the full ferment of a natural. When you combine this technique with a world-class variety like Gesha, the result is extraordinary. Ethiopia Gesha Village Rarities #136 Honey is a prime example: a carefully selected lot from the famed Gesha Village in Ethiopia, processed to highlight floral sweetness and stone fruit complexity.

Brewing honey process coffees requires a slightly different approach than washed or natural coffees. The residual sugars on the bean can make extraction more delicate — too aggressive and you risk bitterness; too gentle and you miss the nuanced sweetness. In this guide, we’ll walk you through a precise pour over recipe tailored to honey process Gesha, using the Ethiopia Gesha Village Rarities #136 Honey as our star. Whether you’re a seasoned home barista or a curious enthusiast, these tips will help you unlock the full potential of this rare coffee.

Understanding the Honey Process and Its Impact on Brewing

Honey process coffee is defined by the amount of mucilage left on the bean during drying. The term ‘honey’ refers to the sticky, honey-like texture of the mucilage, not an added sweetener. Different levels exist — yellow, red, and black honey — each corresponding to how much mucilage remains. The Ethiopia Gesha Village Rarities #136 Honey we’re featuring is a yellow honey process, meaning a thin layer of mucilage is left, allowing for gentle fermentation and a clean, sweet cup with notes of peach, jasmine, and honey.

From a brewing standpoint, honey process beans tend to have slightly more surface sugar than washed beans but less than naturals. This means they are more prone to over-extraction if you grind too fine or use water that’s too hot. The sugary coating can caramelize and create a burnt taste. On the other hand, under-extraction leaves the sweetness locked away. The goal is a balanced extraction that draws out the fruit and floral notes without overwhelming bitterness. Our recipe below is calibrated specifically for this balance.

• Use water just off the boil (around 93°C / 199°F) to avoid scorching the sugars.
• A medium-fine grind (similar to table salt) is ideal for most honey process coffees in a pour over.
• Pour with a gentle, steady hand to agitate the grounds evenly without disturbing the bed.

Step-by-Step Pour Over Recipe for Ethiopia Gesha Village Rarities #136 Honey

This recipe uses a V60 dripper, but you can adapt it to any cone-shaped pour over. We recommend a 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio — that’s 15 grams of coffee to 240 grams of water. Start with 93°C filtered water. Grind the beans to a medium-fine consistency, slightly coarser than you’d use for a washed coffee. Rinse your paper filter with hot water to remove paper taste and preheat the vessel.

Add the grounds and level the bed. Pour 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom. During the bloom, the coffee releases trapped CO2 and the sugars begin to dissolve. After 30 seconds, continue with a slow, concentric pour up to 120 grams by 45 seconds. Wait until water drains about halfway, then pour the remaining 120 grams, finishing around 1 minute 30 seconds. Total brew time should be between 2:30 and 3:00. Adjust grind size if it runs too fast or too slow.

• Bloom: 30g water, 30 seconds
• Main pour: Two stages of 90g each, aiming for a total of 240g
• Finish pouring by 1:30, drawdown complete by 3:00

Tweaking the Recipe for Your Taste

Every coffee lot is slightly different, even within the same process and variety. The Ethiopia Gesha Village Rarities #136 Honey has a particular density and sugar content that may respond better to slight adjustments. If you find the cup too acidic, try raising the water temperature by 1–2°C or extending the bloom to 40 seconds. If it tastes flat or lacks sweetness, grind a touch finer and keep your pours gentle to increase extraction without bitterness.

Another variable is water chemistry. Soft, low-mineral water can make the coffee taste hollow; hard water can mute delicate florals. Aim for water with around 80–100 ppm total dissolved solids. If you don’t have access to specialty water, use a simple carbon filter. For a comparison, you might explore the Panama Auromar Gesha Natural from Friedhats — a natural process Gesha that offers even more fruit punch. Brewing that coffee would require a slightly coarser grind and a shorter ratio (1:15) to manage the high ferment.

Common Mistakes When Brewing Honey Process Coffee

The biggest mistake is using a grind that’s too fine. Honey process beans are sticky and can clog the filter, leading to a stalled brew and over-extraction. Always start medium-fine and adjust from there. Another error is pouring too aggressively — turbulent water can cause channeling, where water rushes through cracks in the coffee bed, leaving some grounds untouched and others over-extracted. Use a gooseneck kettle and pour with control.

Temperature is also critical. Many brewers default to boiling (100°C) for all coffees, but honey process Gesha benefits from a cooler temperature, around 92–94°C. Too hot and you’ll get a burnt sugar flavor that masks the delicate jasmine notes. Finally, don’t skip the bloom. The bloom is essential for degassing and ensuring even extraction. For fresh coffee like this Gesha, a 30-second bloom is a minimum.

• Grind too fine → slow drawdown, bitterness
• Water too hot → burnt sugar, muted florals
• Aggressive pour → channeling, uneven extraction
• Skipping bloom → under-extracted, sour notes

Honey process coffee rewards attention to detail, but the payoff is a cup that balances sweetness, fruit, and floral notes like no other. The Ethiopia Gesha Village Rarities #136 Honey is a perfect candidate to practice your technique — it’s forgiving yet complex. Whether you follow our recipe to the letter or use it as a starting point for experimentation, you’ll discover why this rare Gesha is a favorite among specialty coffee lovers. Ready to brew? Grab a bag of Ethiopia Gesha Village Rarities #136 Honey from Friedhats and taste the honey process difference.