The FARM Label: Coffees Named for What They Taste Like

The FARM label is a curated series of Colombian specialty lots that lead with flavour concept rather than varietal or farm name. Each lot is named for the sensory experience it delivers — Macaron (Blog #37), Maple Honey, and others in the series — creating an accessible, evocative entry point for coffee drinkers who want to choose by what they'll taste rather than by geography or processing jargon. Behind each name is a specific variety, process, and terroir combination selected for its ability to hit that flavour target consistently.

Maple Honey targets the warm, viscous sweetness end of the coffee flavour spectrum. The honey process — in which coffee cherries are depulped but dried with varying amounts of mucilage (the fruit's sticky, sugar-rich flesh) remaining on the parchment — is chosen specifically because it bridges washed clarity and natural fruit intensity. The retained mucilage ferments slowly during drying, building the caramel and honey compounds that give honey-process coffees their characteristic roundness and sweetness without the fruit-bomb intensity of a full natural.

Honey Processing: A Spectrum

Honey processing exists on a spectrum defined by how much mucilage is left on the parchment after depulping. Yellow honey retains the least (10–25%), producing a cleaner, more washed-adjacent cup. Red honey retains more (up to 50%), building sweetness and body. Black honey retains the most (over 75%), producing a cup closer to a natural in intensity. The Maple Honey FARM lot uses a protocol calibrated for the mid-to-high end of this spectrum — enough retained mucilage to produce genuine maple and honey sweetness, but managed carefully enough that cup clarity is maintained. The result is a coffee that genuinely reads "maple honey" without tipping into fermented or funky territory.

The Colombian Honey Process Tradition

Honey processing became commercially significant in Colombia during the 2010s, as specialty buyers began seeking cup profiles that fell between the clean brightness of Colombian washed and the fruit intensity of Ethiopian naturals. The technique requires precise drying management — turned frequently on raised beds to prevent mould during the sticky mucilage drying phase — and works best at altitudes where cool nights regulate drying temperature and preserve aromatic compounds. Colombian farms in Huila, Antioquia, and Tolima have produced exceptional honey lots, and the FARM label applies this tradition to a deliberately concept-designed flavour profile.

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