Costa Rica Tarrazú San Román Washed Specialty Coffee Beans: Flavor Characteristics, Growing Region, and Brewing Parameters

Costa Rican Coffee Excellence: Tarrazú Region

The country's most renowned growing region is Tarrazú, near the capital San José. Tarrazú has the highest average altitude along with excellent climate and soil, making it the most famous and widely recognised coffee-producing region in Costa Rica. Tres Rios is a famous sub-region within Tarrazú. The most renowned Costa Rican single-estate coffee in the specialty world is La Minita Estate in Tarrazú, with an annual production of only 160,000 pounds.

FrontStreet Coffee's Pour-Over Method

FrontStreet Coffee's hand-poured Costa Rican San Roman: 15g of coffee, medium grind (using Fuji's ghost tooth grinder at setting 4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and pause, wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly to 225g and discard the tail end. Coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

San Roman Processing Factory

San Roman Processing Factory primarily uses the washed method and is famous for producing coffee with intense, rich flavour and solid texture. Cherries are hand-sorted, with farmers removing overripe or unripe fruit before processing. A 3-disc Aagaarde machine removes the skin and pulp, after which the beans are sorted by density into three grades. Grade 1 and 2 beans are fermented separately, while Grade 3 consists of lower-quality beans. The raw beans ferment in a cool place for about 24-36 hours, then are cleaned and re-sorted by density in the washing channels. Finally, they are soaked overnight in clean water. After processing and roasting, the bittersweet chocolate flavours blend with a creamy, fudge-like sweetness, complemented by subtle wine-like acidity. The enticing aroma and fruity sweetness of the chocolate beans leave a lasting impression.

Costa Rica's Coffee Growing Regions

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

FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica San Roman Royal Coffee

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 Factory: San Roman Processing Factory
• Flavor Notes: Berry aroma, caramel, cream, subtle spices

The Costa Rican Coffee Revolution

The best Costa Rican coffees seem to come from small processing factories scattered across the main growing regions, Tarrazú and West Valley among them. This so-called coffee revolution began 15 years ago and has dramatically changed how roasting experts and importers view Costa Rican coffee. Centred on facilities that collect and process beans from surrounding small farms—typically small communities or family operations growing coffee on their own plots—all the coffee is processed and dried by a single small factory. The quality and flavour of FrontStreet Coffee's Royal Coffee are exceptionally distinctive, largely thanks to cooperation between coffee producers and ourselves.

Costa Rican Coffee History

Coffee cultivation was introduced to Costa Rica from Cuba in 1779, with the first exports occurring in 1820. Today there are approximately 32,000 coffee farmers, with an average cultivation area of less than one hectare (10,000 m²) each. Costa Rica's population is 4.1 million (2006), with coffee covering 82,500 hectares. Annual production is 1.7 million bags (60kg each), domestic annual consumption is 380,000 bags, and average per capita consumption is 5.5kg—higher than Japan's 4kg and significantly more than Taiwan's current average of just over 1kg.

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to introduce coffee cultivation, with a long history and a complete organisational system from production to sales. Located on the Central American isthmus with numerous volcanoes, the country benefits from natural advantages of sunshine and land. The climate is moderated by Pacific and Atlantic ocean currents and sea breezes, producing coffee with characteristics unique to the local microclimate. In both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has consistently won world recognition and is rated among the world's finest. Coffee cultivation in Costa Rica has a two-hundred-year history, initially planted on the slopes of the Poas and Barva volcanoes in what is today the Central Valley region. The seven main growing regions run from northwest to southeast along the inland central plateau.

Costa Rican Coffee Culture

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

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

Coffee cultivation being a relatively advanced profession in Costa Rica, coffee farmers hold a respected place in society. In 1897, citizens of the capital witnessed the inauguration of the National Theater, donated by wealthy coffee magnates. Coffee wealth brought stability to Costa Rica's politics, economy, and democracy—uncommon among Central American countries. Costa Rica also has laws allowing only Arabica cultivation, with Robusta treated as "contraband" within its borders—a pioneering initiative unique in the world.

Costa Rican Coffee Production

Costa Rica's output is not large, at about 110,000 tons a year, ranking seventh in Central and South America. The country focuses on newer varieties such as Caturra, Catuai, and Mundo Novo, while the older Bourbon and Typica are less common. Several local variants have also been developed, the most famous being the Bourbon variant Villalobos, known for its elegant flavour; Brazil has introduced and cultivated it too, and it has won awards. Costa Rican research institutions have also worked tirelessly to improve the hybrid Catimor, aiming to reduce its Robusta lineage while enhancing its Arabica flavour characteristics. In recent years these varieties have been exported to Asia for trial cultivation.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A medium-dark, chocolate-and-caramel cup like this San Roman is a great everyday pour-over, and a few FrontStreet Coffee lots round out a similar lineup. For a rich, low-acid option, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling is wet-hulled in Indonesia and given three hand selections plus one machine selection, so it keeps Mandheling's herbal, spice, and woody depth while tasting cleaner and smoother, with strong sweetness and clear caramel. If you like a hint of quiet complexity, FrontStreet Coffee's 2013 Yunnan Typica is an ancient Arabica variety planted at 1,300 meters; medium roasted, it shows hazelnut, dried apricot, black tea, caramel, and ripe plum.

For a brighter counterpoint, FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Cherry Tomato is a Kenya washed specialty bean from the Sika region, grown at 1,550-1,750 meters from SL28 and SL34 and fermented with a 72-hour double washed process; it brings bright cherry-tomato and dark-plum acidity, a full, juice-like body, and a clean, long finish with yellow-sugar sweetness and a faint green-tea note.

A V60 flatters this range of beans. Its 60-degree cone and single large aperture drive water to the centre and keep the flow unrestricted, so your pour shapes the cup. Use a medium grind at #4 on a ghost-tooth grinder, 15g of coffee at a 1:15 ratio, and 88-89°C water: pour 30g for a 27-second bloom, add water to 105g and pause, wait for the bed to drop halfway, then finish slowly to 225g for a total extraction of about 2:00.