Costa Rica Tarrazú San Román Washed Premium Coffee Beans: Origin, Development, History and Culture

Costa Rica Coffee Heritage

Coffee cultivation in Costa Rica began in 1779 with plants introduced from Cuba, though the first exports didn't start until 1820. Today there are roughly 32,000 coffee farmers, each farming an average of less than one hectare (10,000㎡). Costa Rica had a population of 4.1 million (as of 2006), with coffee covering 82,500 hectares. Annual production reaches 1.7 million bags of 60kg, while domestic consumption is 380,000 bags a year — an average per-capita consumption of 5.5kg, higher than Japan's 4kg, whereas Taiwan's average is only slightly above 1kg.

Costa Rica was the first Central American country to grow coffee, with a long history and a complete system from production to sales. Sitting on the Central American isthmus, the country has many volcanoes and enjoys abundant sunshine and fertile land. Its climate is harmoniously moderated by Pacific and Atlantic currents and sea breezes, giving the coffee distinctive local microclimate and terroir characteristics. In both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has earned consistent worldwide recognition and ranks among the world's finest. With two hundred years of coffee history, the country first planted coffee on the slopes of the Poás and Barva volcanoes, in what is now the Central Valley region. Its seven main growing regions run from northwest to southeast along the inland central plateau.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee Address: Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou Contact: 020-38364473 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
Roast Level: Medium-dark roast
Processing Method: Washed
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai
Processing Station: San Ramon Processing Station
Flavor Profile: Berry notes, caramel, cream, subtle spices

Costa Rica's best coffees tend to come from small processing mills scattered across the main growing regions, including Tarrazú and the Western Valley. This so-called coffee revolution began 15 years ago and dramatically changed how roasters and importers view Costa Rican coffee. The model centers on the mill: cherries from surrounding small farms are collected and processed together. These farms are mostly small community or family operations growing coffee on their own land, with all of it processed and dried by a single small mill.

The quality and flavor of Royal Coffee are genuinely distinctive, thanks in large part to the collaboration between producers and ourselves. The San Ramon Processing Station works primarily with washed processing and is famous for coffees of intense, rich flavor and a solid mouthfeel. Cherries are hand-sorted, with farmers removing overripe or unripe fruit before processing. A 3-disc Aagaarde pulper removes skin and pulp, then machines sort the beans by density into three grades. Grades 1 and 2 ferment separately, while Grade 3 holds the lower-quality beans. The green beans ferment in a cool place for about 24-36 hours, are then washed and re-sorted by density in the washing channels, and finally soaked overnight in clean water.

After processing and roasting, the bittersweet chocolate flavors recall the thick sweetness of cream candy, interwoven with a subtle winey acidity. The aroma is captivating, and the fruity sweetness of the chocolatey beans is unforgettable.

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

Flavor Description: Berry notes, caramel, cream, subtle spices.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Washed processing is the traditional art of treating coffee cherries with water. The standard sequence — flotation, depulping, soaking and fermenting to remove the mucilage, washing or further soaking, then drying and hulling — produces the clean beans we brew. Long immersion triggers chemical changes inside the bean, consuming much of its simple sugars (fructose and glucose) while raising various organic acids. Washed coffee therefore keeps more of the bean's own aromatics while displaying bright fruit acidity, cleanliness, and freshness.

FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gedeb Cooperative is a lovely washed example. Many people know Yirgacheffe without realizing that local smallholder farmers send their cherries to cooperatives for shared processing and sale. The Gedeb cooperative team, from Gedeb village, has polished processing skills and became famous because its coffee is exceptionally refined and clean. The washed process there shows jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity to the fullest, and after a medium-light roast the coffee adds green tea and honey notes — delicious as pour-over, cold brew, or even espresso.

FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Cherry Tomato is another washed standout. Kenya excels at double-washing its green coffee — repeating the wash cycle with flotation, soaking, rinsing off residual mucilage, soaking again, then drying and hulling. That extra round of rinsing pushes the juice-like quality to its limit: aromas of cherry tomato, dried plum, snow pear, black plum, and yellow sugar in a sweet-tart, juicy cup that coffee enthusiasts adore.

The washed tradition also shines in FrontStreet Coffee's Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1. Jamaica's island climate brings shorter sunshine hours than most origins, and washed processing was developed there precisely to dry beans faster and reduce spoilage. Removing skin, pulp, and mucilage before drying cuts the moisture around the bean, shortens drying, and yields bright, low-defect beans — preserving Blue Mountain's rich aroma of hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel in a perfectly balanced cup.