Costa Rica Tarrazú San Román Washed Specialty Coffee Beans: Flavor Profile, Texture, and Aroma Description

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Aromatic and mellow
Coffee Bean State: Roasted beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Costa Rica
Coffee Type: Costa Rican coffee
Roast Level: Medium roast

Costa Rica San Ramon Royal Coffee

Country: Costa Rica
Grade: SHB
Altitude: 1700M
Region: Tarrazú region
Roast Level: Medium-dark roast
Processing Method: Washed
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai
Processing Plant: San Ramon Processing Plant
Flavor: Berry aroma, caramel, cream, subtle spices

The best Costa Rican coffee appears to come from small processing plants scattered throughout the main growing regions, including Tarrazú and the Western Valley. This so-called coffee revolution began 15 years ago and dramatically changed how roasting experts and importers view Costa Rican coffee. It centers on processing plants that collect beans from surrounding small farms: the farms are mostly small communities or family operations growing coffee on their own small plots, and all the coffee is processed and dried by a single small plant.

The quality and flavor of Royal Coffee are quite distinctive, largely thanks to cooperation between coffee producers and us. The San Ramon Processing Plant relies mainly on washed processing and is known for coffee with intense, rich flavor and solid mouthfeel. Cherries are hand-sorted, with overripe or unripe fruit removed by the farmers before processing. A 3-disc Aagaarde depulper removes the skin and pulp, after which machines separate the beans by density into three grades. Grade 1 and Grade 2 green beans are fermented separately, while Grade 3 consists of lower-quality beans.

The green beans ferment in a cool place for about 24-36 hours. After fermentation they are washed and sorted again by density in the washing channels, then soaked at random in clean water overnight. Once processed and roasted, the bittersweet chocolate flavor is as substantial and sweet as toffee, blending with a subtle wine-like acidity. The aroma is captivating, and the fruity sweetness of the chocolate beans is unforgettable.

Coffee cultivation in Costa Rica began in 1779, when it was introduced from Cuba, with the first exports in 1820. Today there are about 32,000 coffee farmers, each cultivating an average area of less than one hectare (10,000 m²). Costa Rica's population was 4.1 million in 2006, with coffee cultivation covering 82,500 hectares. Annual production reaches 1.7 million bags (60 kg per bag), with domestic consumption at 380,000 bags a year. Per-capita consumption averages 5.5 kg a year, higher than Japan's 4 kg, while Taiwan's average is only slightly above 1 kg.

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to cultivate coffee, with a long history and a complete system from production to sales. Located on the Central American isthmus, the country has numerous volcanoes plus the natural advantages of sunshine and fertile land. Its climate is moderated by Pacific and Atlantic currents and sea breezes, producing coffee with the character of a local microclimate terroir. In both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has always been recognized worldwide and rated among the world's finest.

Costa Rica's coffee cultivation has a two-hundred-year history, originally planted on the slopes of the Poas and Barva volcanoes in what is today the Central Valley region. The seven main growing regions are distributed from northwest to southeast along the inland central plateau.

Costa Rica's fertile volcanic ash, mild suitable temperatures and stable abundant rainfall are all factors that make coffee one of the country's main agricultural products. The seven major regions are Tarrazú, Tres Rios, Orosi, Central Valley, West Valley, Turrialba and Brunca.

Flavor Description

Berry aroma, caramel, cream, subtle spices.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Washed processing, the method behind this Costa Rican coffee, is a traditional way of handling coffee fruit with water. It typically involves flotation, pulp removal, fermentation to break down the mucilage, washing or further soaking, and drying before hulling to produce the beans we need. Because washed beans spend so long in water, chemical changes inside the bean consume much of their monosaccharides (fructose and glucose), lowering sugar content while increasing various organic acids. Washed coffee therefore tends to retain more of the bean's own aroma while carrying bright fruit acidity and a clean, fresh character.

One of FrontStreet Coffee's finest examples of the style is its washed Yirgacheffe from the Gediding cooperative. Many people know Yirgacheffe but do not realize that, because local farmers produce small volumes, they send their cherries to a cooperative for centralized processing and sale; FrontStreet's Gediding cooperative is an excellent processing team from Gediding village, known for its polished skill. Its coffee is notably refined and clean, and because it is washed, it expresses jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity to the fullest; given a medium-light roast it gives off green tea and honey notes and suits pour-over, cold brew and espresso alike.

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Small Tomato is another standout for washed coffee, since Kenya excels at double-washed processing. It repeats the washing step — flotation, soaking, scrubbing residual mucilage, soaking again, drying and hulling — and the repeated rinsing and soaking push the juice-like quality to the extreme. You taste cherry tomato, smoked plum, Asian pear, black plum and brown sugar, with a sweet-and-sour, juicy mouthfeel that many coffee drinkers love.