Costa Rica Yellow Honey Process Helsar De Zarceri Caturra Specialty Single Origin Coffee with Free Nationwide Shipping

Product Information

Ingredients: house-roasted

Shelf life: 90 days

Net weight: 227 g

Packaging: bulk

Bean state: roasted coffee beans

Sugar content: sugar-free

Origin: Costa Rica

Coffee type: single origin

Roast level: medium roast

Costa Rica Helsar De Zarcero

Origin Details:

• Country: Costa Rica
• Grade: SHB
• Region: West Valley
• Roast level: medium roast
• Processing method: yellow honey
• Varieties: Caturra, Catuai
• Processing mill: Helsar processing mill
• Flavor notes: brown sugar, almond, black tea

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to cultivate coffee, and it has a long history together with a complete system running from production through to sales. Sitting on the Central American isthmus, the country is dotted with volcanoes and enjoys the natural advantages of abundant sunshine and fertile land. Pacific and Atlantic currents and sea breezes shape a harmonious climate that gives the coffee a distinctive microclimate-driven terroir. In both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has earned recognition around the world and is ranked among the finest coffees produced anywhere.

The fertile volcanic ash of Costa Rica's volcanic terrain, its mild and well-suited temperatures and its steady, plentiful rainfall all help make coffee one of the country's main agricultural products. The seven major producing regions are Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Central Valley, West Valley, Turrialba and Brunca.

Costa Rica has grown coffee for a long time, but over the past decade or so the innovative "dry" approach has become a trend. Collectively known as honey processing, this family of methods uses a pulper to adjust how much mucilage is left on the parchment, producing a "honey" effect that ranges from light to intense as the color shifts from light to dark (white, yellow, red and black). Each level brings its own acidity, complex aromatics and rich body. The Helsar mill sits in the Naranjo area of the West Valley region, where it is highly regarded. Besides its own estates, it also processes green beans for neighboring farms and smallholders.

Yellow honey processing: roughly 40% of the mucilage is removed. Drying at this level calls for the most direct heat, so the beans take in maximum sunlight for about 8 days until they reach a stable moisture content.

Costa Rican coffee has long been treated as a classic example of perfectly balanced flavor, built on balance, cleanliness and mildness. This lot from the Helsar mill in the West Valley is backed by outstanding natural conditions and careful regional farm management. The result is a near-perfect classic profile: lively citrus in the acidity, blackberry fruit aromatics, generous acidity and body, melon-like sweetness and a smooth texture.

With drupe fruit and subtle floral aromas, the finish carries a prominent coffee-flower fragrance, making this a coffee full of Latin countryside charm.

Flavor Profile: brown sugar, floral notes, almond, black tea, orange, sweet spice, mild acidity, syrupy mouthfeel and an excellent finish.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

To taste how far honey processing can be pushed in Costa Rica, FrontStreet Costa Rica Blackberry is a natural next step. It is produced with a distinctive black honey process that leaves almost all of the mucilage intact; drying then takes longer, at least two weeks, with covers used to keep the sun from drying the cherries too quickly so the sugars can fully convert. The beds are turned at intervals to avoid uneven heat and over-fermentation, and the method demands more effort than any other honey style. Medium-light roasted, FrontStreet Blackberry releases a rich floral perfume off the grinder and drinks with the special flavors of grapes, berries and ripe blackberry.

For a different kind of honey processing, FrontStreet Costa Rica Mozart uses an innovative raisin honey method that departs from the traditional yellow, red and black tiers. The cherries are pre-dried on raised beds for at least three days before being pulped and finished as a honey, a variation that keeps 100% of the mucilage and is even harder to control than black honey. The result is a fuller, juicier fruit sweetness, with distinctive notes of osmanthus, pineapple and raisin whether you brew it as pour-over, cold brew or moka pot.