Costa Rica Black Honey Catuai Tarrazú Finca la Minita Specialty Coffee Bean Grind Size and Roast Level

Product Information

Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Green/Bean
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Costa Rica
Roast Degree: Medium roast

Coffee Details

Country: Costa Rica

Grade: SHB

Region: Tarrazú

Roast Level: Medium roast

Processing Method: Black honey processing

Variety: Catuai

Estate: La Minita Estate

Flavor Notes: Preserved plum, honey, brown sugar

Costa Rican Coffee Regions

Its three most famous producing areas are Tarrazú, south of Costa Rica's capital San Jose, along with the Central Valley and Western Valley regions. Many excellent independent estates are scattered throughout, all working diligently to cultivate more refined washed and honey-processed coffee. We can look forward to more honey-processed surprises from Costa Rica.

Honey Processing Methods

We commonly see three types of honey processing: Yellow honey, Red honey, and Black honey.

Yellow Honey: About 40% of the mucilage is removed; drying requires the most direct heat absorption, receiving maximum sunlight exposure, and takes approximately 8 days to reach a stable moisture content.

Red Honey: About 25% of the mucilage is removed; compared with yellow honey, the drying time is longer, reducing direct sunlight exposure and even using shade nets, taking approximately 12 days.

Black Honey: Almost no mucilage is removed; drying takes the longest, at least 2 weeks, using coverings to avoid overly strong sunlight and prevent too-rapid drying, allowing a more thorough conversion of sugars.

Costa Rican Coffee Quality

Although Costa Rica has earned recognition from coffee connoisseurs through its honey-processed beans, that reputation is inseparable from the country's superior geography and climate and its exclusive cultivation of Arabica varieties. Costa Rica's premium beans are called "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB), followed by Hard Bean (HB) and Semi-Hard Bean (SH) with progressively lower quality, which also forms its grading system. Strictly Hard Beans grow above 1500 meters, and altitude has always signified coffee quality, with higher elevation meaning better quality. The high-altitude drop also brings abundant rainfall, which benefits coffee trees, and the low nighttime temperatures at altitude slow the trees' growth, letting the cherries take up more nutrients and producing richer flavors.

Tasting Profile

Flavor: Preserved plum, honey, brown sugar, orange blossom, white chocolate

Mouthfeel: Excellent sweetness, gentle fruit acidity, round and full-bodied, persistent aftertaste

La Minita Estate Black Honey

This lot of La Minita Estate black honey coffee comes from Costa Rica's famous Tarrazú region. Although specialty coffee development started relatively late there, Costa Rica's specialty coffee industry is now growing rapidly. With the gentle fruit acidity, smooth mouthfeel, and sweet, premium berry flavors of honey processing, it has become a force to be reckoned with. Black honey processing retains about 80% of the mucilage, and the most obvious distinction among the yellow, red, and black styles is that they get progressively sweeter. Combined with richer fruit notes, they are deeply loved by coffee connoisseurs.

Brewing Parameters

Pour-over black honey: 15g coffee, medium grind (small Fuji ghost-tooth blade #4), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, pour to 105g then pause. Wait until the water level drops by half, then slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Honey processing is what put Costa Rica on the specialty map, and FrontStreet's Costa Rica Blackberry is a bold expression of it. It uses a distinctive black honey process, in which almost none of the mucilage is removed, the drying runs even longer and lasts at least 2 weeks, and coverings are used to keep the sun from drying the beans too fast, ensuring the sugars convert fully, with the cherries turned at intervals to prevent uneven heating and over-fermentation. Roasted medium-light, it gives off a rich floral aroma when ground and tastes of grapes, berries, and ripe blackberry.

Beyond ordinary honey processing, some estates have developed an innovative raisin honey method, a variation that departs from the traditional yellow, red, and black styles. FrontStreet's Costa Rica Mozart is the one to try. In this method the cherries are pre-dried on raised beds for at least three days before the skin and pulp are removed and the honey steps continue, and it keeps 100% of the mucilage, which raises the difficulty above even black honey and demands strict control of timing. The result is a richer, hotter fruit sweetness, and whether you brew it as a pour-over, a cold brew, or a moka pot, you can taste osmanthus, pineapple, and raisin.

For a blend that pairs Geisha with Costa Rican honey processing, FrontStreet's Strawberry Candy combines Panama Geisha, which supplies the classic orange-blossom honey charm, with Costa Rican coffee processed with the raisin honey method, keeping 100% of the mucilage under a zero-water approach. On the day of harvest the cherries are poured into a large water tank so that fully mature fruit sinks and underdeveloped or overripe fruit floats and can be skimmed off; the sorted cherries are dried on raised beds for at least three days, then the skin is removed and, with the mucilage retained, drying continues with constant turning for evenness. The resulting cup carries Geisha's floral tea quality along with grape and raisin notes, soft fruit acidity, an almond finish, and a clear sweetness.