What is done with the skin and mucilage from the coffee cherry is what determines or defines the processing method.
Honey processed coffee has all of the skin removed and some of the mucilage surrounding the beans. A mechanical pulping or demucilaging machine is used to squeeze or press the beans from the skin, leaving some of the mucilage adhering to the beans. The beans and intact mucilage are then set out to dry.
This process uses much less water than the wet process, in which beans are fermented in tanks of water to remove all the mucilage stuck to the beans after pulping.
Honey process can also be called pulped natural, semi-washed, or semi-lavado depending on the coffee producing region.
