The Story Behind Costa Rica's Yellow Honey Elsha Rocador Specialty Coffee Beans

Costa Rican Coffee Heritage

Costa Rica has cultivated coffee for a long time, but over the past decade or so a newer, more experimental "dry" approach has taken hold. Grouped under the umbrella term "honey processing," these methods use the pulping machine to control exactly how much pulp is left on the bean, producing a "honey sensation" that runs from light to intense as the color deepens from white through yellow-red-white to yellow-red-black. Each step on that scale brings its own level of acidity, aroma complexity and body, and each has its own merits. The Herbazu processing plant sits in the Naranjo area of the West Valley, where it enjoys a strong reputation; besides running its own coffee plantation, it also processes and produces green beans for nearby estates and smallholders.

Brewing Method

Yellow honey processed pour-over. Use 15 g of coffee at a medium grind (Fuji ghost-tooth grinder set to #4) in a V60 dripper with water at 88-89°C. Start with a 30 g pour and a 27-second pre-infusion, then pour to 105 g and stop. Wait until the water level in the bed drops halfway before pouring again, then continue slowly to a total of 225 g, avoiding the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Dazhen Coffee / FrontStreet Coffee
Ingredients: House-roasted
Shelf life: 90 days
Net weight: 227 g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Contains sugar: No
Origin: Costa Rica
Coffee type: Other
Roast level: Medium roast

Coffee Details

Costa Rica Helsar De Zarcero

Country: Costa Rica
Grade: SHB
Region: West Valley
Roast level: Medium roast
Processing method: Yellow honey

Yellow Honey Processing: About 40% of the mucilage is removed, and drying relies on the most direct heat of all, with the beans taking in maximum sunlight and needing roughly 8 days to reach a stable moisture content.

Costa Rican coffee has long been regarded as a classic of the balanced ideal: equilibrium, cleanliness and gentleness are its foundation. This lot from the Helsar De Zarcero processing plant in the West Valley benefits from outstanding natural geography and skilled regional cultivation, and it delivers a near-perfect classic cup: lively citrus acidity, blackberry aromatics, generous acidity and body, melon-like sweetness with a smooth mouthfeel, hints of stone fruit and florals, and a striking coffee-blossom aroma in the finish. It is a specialty coffee full of Latin rural charm.

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai

Processing Plant: Helsar De Zarcero Processing Plant

Flavor Notes: Brown sugar, almond, black tea

Costa Rican Coffee Excellence

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to introduce coffee for cultivation, and it has a long history together with a complete system running from production through to sales. Sitting on the Central American isthmus amid numerous volcanoes, it enjoys natural advantages in sunlight and land, while Pacific and Atlantic currents and sea breezes temper the climate. The coffee grown here reflects the character of each local microclimate and terroir. In both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has consistently earned worldwide recognition and is rated among the world's finest.

Costa Rica's volcanic terrain provides fertile volcanic ash, mild and well-suited temperatures, and steady, abundant rainfall, all of which have helped coffee become one of the country's main agricultural products. Its seven major producing regions are Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Central Valley, West Valley, Turrialba and Brunca.

Flavor Profile: Brown sugar, floral notes, almond, black tea, orange and sweet spice, gentle acidity, syrupy body, and an excellent finish.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Because honey processing has become Costa Rica's signature, the FrontStreet Mozart is a perfect match for this cup. Grown in Costa Rica and given a raisin honey process, it brings dried fruit, ripe pineapple and sweet orange with a distinct osmanthus aroma, and it shines as both a pour-over and a cold brew.

For a honey-processed coffee with more layers, try the FrontStreet Strawberry Candy. It blends Costa Rican honey-processed coffee with Panama Geisha, so you get delicate florals alongside sweet fruit, finishing with a soft almond note, and it works in a pour-over, a cold brew, a Moka pot or a home espresso machine.

If you want the clean, classic West Valley profile taken to its highest expression, the FrontStreet Panama Boquete Geisha is an estate-level Geisha grown at 1,600 meters on fertile volcanic soil, with jasmine, green tea, honey, citrus and orange in the cup.