Costa Rica Yellow Honey El Rocadura Coffee Beans: Flavor Characteristics, Growing Region and Brewing Parameters

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Manufacturer: Dazhen Coffee FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Guangzhou
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: House-roasted
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Costa Rica
Coffee Type: Other
Roast Level: Medium roast

Costa Rica Helsar De Zarcero

Country: Costa Rica

Grade: SHB

Region: West Valley

Roast Level: Medium roast

Processing Method: Yellow Honey

Yellow Honey Processing: Approximately 40% of mucilage is removed; drying requires the most direct heat absorption, receiving maximum sunlight for drying, taking about 8 days to reach stable moisture content.

Costa Rican coffee has always been considered a classic flavor of the perfect type—balanced, clean, and mild are its foundation. This batch from the Helsar processing plant in the West Valley region is famous for its excellent natural geographical conditions and superior regional planting management techniques. It presents a nearly perfect classic flavor with lively citrus notes in acidity, blackberry fruit aromas, rich acidity and mouthfeel, melon-like sweetness, smooth texture, and drupe fruit/subtle floral notes. The finish has remarkable coffee flower aromas, making it a coffee full of Latin rural charm.

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai

Processing Plant: Helsar De Zarcero Processing Plant

Flavor Notes: Brown sugar, almond, black tea

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America where coffee was introduced for cultivation, with a long history and a complete system from production to sales. Located in the Central American isthmus with numerous volcanoes, it possesses natural advantages of sunlight and soil. Climate-wise, it is simultaneously moderated by Pacific and Atlantic ocean currents and sea breezes. The coffee produced exhibits characteristics of local microclimate terroir conditions. In terms of both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has consistently received world recognition and has been evaluated as one of the world's high-quality coffees.

The fertile volcanic ash, mild and suitable temperatures, and stable abundant rainfall of Costa Rica's volcanic terrain are all factors contributing to coffee becoming one of the country's main agricultural products. The seven major producing regions are: Tarrzu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Central Valley, West Valley, Turrialba, and Brunca.

Costa Rica has a long history of coffee cultivation, but in the past 10+ years, the more innovative "dry" processing method has become trendy. Collectively known as the new "honey processing" method, it uses pulping machines to adjust the degree of pulp removal, producing "honey sensation" that ranges from light to intense as the color goes from light to deep (white, yellow-red-white, yellow-red-black). Each has its own depth and merits in terms of acidity, complex aromas, and richness. The Herbazu processing plant, located in the West Valley region's Naranjo area, is highly renowned in this region. Besides having its own coffee plantation, it also serves nearby estates and small coffee farmers by processing and producing green beans.

Flavor: Brown sugar, floral notes, almond, black tea, orange and sweet spice sensations, mild acidity, syrupy texture, excellent finish.

Caturra is a single-gene variant of Bourbon, discovered in Brazil in 1937. Both its yield and disease resistance are superior to Bourbon, and the plant is shorter, making harvesting convenient. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it suffers from the biennial production cycle problem. However, it has strong adaptability, doesn't require shade trees, and can thrive directly under intense sun exposure, earning it the name "Sun Coffee." It can adapt to high-density planting but requires more fertilization, increasing costs, so initial farmer acceptance was not high.

However, in the 1970s when coffee prices soared, farmers flocked to plant Caturra to increase yields. With vigorous promotion by Brazilian and Colombian authorities, the results were fruitful. Farmers' acceptance of Caturra signified a major transformation in cultivation techniques. Brazil and Colombia adopted high-yield, high-density sun-exposed planting. By 1990, one million hectares could harvest 14 million bags of coffee beans, increasing production capacity by 60%. No wonder the high-yield, high-quality Caturra has become a variety that various producing countries now rely on.

Caturra is suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters, with strong altitude adaptability. The higher the altitude, the better the flavor, but with relatively reduced yield—this is the destiny of specialty coffee beans. Some academics describe Caturra as the intensive and sun-exposed version of Bourbon, which hits the nail on the head. There is also a yellow Caturra variant (Caturra Amarello) in Central and South America, but its reputation is not as good as Yellow Bourbon.

When lightly roasted, Caturra shows obvious acidity and brightness, and with proper handling, sweetness can be expressed exceptionally well. However, the coffee body is relatively lower compared to Bourbon, and the cleanliness of the mouthfeel is somewhat lacking.

Usually, Caturra has red berries, but in extremely rare areas, there are yellow Caturras, such as the very small amount of yellow Caturra cultivated in Hawaii.

Hand-pour Yellow Honey: 15g coffee, medium grind (small Fuji ghost tooth grinder #4), V60 dripper, 88-89°C water temperature. First pour 30g water for 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473