same honey process protocol but very different result each lot — is it really terroir?

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I grow arabica in Doi Chaang area at around 1100-1200m altitude. for three years I practice honey process, same protocol: remove cherry skin with pulper, keep some mucilage on bean surface, dry on raised bed 18-22 days depend on weather.

but the result in cup is very different lot by lot and even different between one section of my farm and other section. one lot come out with very nice stone fruit and mild sweetness. another lot same protocol same harvest season come out more fermented and the sweetness less clear.

my farm have different soil type in different area, some area more sandy, some more clay. altitude also differ a bit within the farm. I am wondering if this soil and micro-altitude difference is causing the cup to be different, or is it just inconsistency in my drying process.

the exporter cup both and say one is 86 point and other is 83 point. that 3 point difference is big difference for price. want to understand why this happen so I can improve.

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this happen to me also in Lam Dong. same honey protocol, different result from different section of farm. I think main factor is mucilage amount left on bean surface. if not consistent then fermentation during drying is different. also air circulation on drying bed is different depending on where bed is located, near tree or in open space give different temperature range.

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terroir is real but inconsistent protocol can also explain the score difference. 18-22 day drying window is quite wide variation. a 4 day difference in total drying time can change the cup significantly in honey process. I would first standardize the protocol strictly and eliminate human variable before concluding it is terroir difference.

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yes the drying range I mention is because of weather. some year rain come suddenly and we have to pause drying or bring inside. this is the inconsistency you mention. hard to control in open air drying. already try to use shade cloth to reduce this but not always possible.

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same experience from farmer in Java that i know. they say same honey process same farm but different plot give different result and they confuse why. after they track more careful they find the drying bed thickness also slightly different and maybe also contribute. but i think also the cherry maturity when pick is very important, if picking not uniform the mucilage amount is different even from same tree.

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terroir effect in honey process is documented in research. soil mineral content affect nutrient in cherry and this change microbial environment on bean surface during fermentation. altitude difference affect temperature range during drying which affect fermentation speed and final flavor compound. so yes, even small difference in terroir can produce different cup result with same protocol. but separating terroir effect from protocol inconsistency is the difficult part.

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this is well known challenge in honey process in Philippines also. Benguet and Mt. Apo lots from same producer can taste noticeably different even when protocol is identical on paper. a lot of it comes down to microclimate variation and the fact that honey process is more sensitive to ambient conditions than washed. some producers here already track weather data per drying batch to correlate with cup result later.

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separate your farm into sections and track each section individually. after several harvest you will see pattern of which section give better result consistently. then you know if it is terroir or protocol problem. this is basic lot separation practice.

same honey process protocol but very different result each lot — is it really terroir?

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