Differences, Distinctions, and Award Status of Costa Rica Black Honey Caturra from Trazu and La Mina Estates

Professional Barista Exchange

For professional barista discussions, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

Costa Rica's Premier Coffee Growing Region

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

Pour Over Black Honey

Pour-over for black honey. Use 15g of coffee at a medium grind (Fuji grinder with ghost tooth burrs, setting #4), a V60 dripper, and water at 88-89°C. Start by pouring 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Continue pouring up to 105g and stop. Once the water level has dropped to about half, pour again, slowly, until reaching 225g total. Discard the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Coffee Regions and Processing Methods

Costa Rica's three most famous origins are Tarrazú, located south of the capital San José, as well as the Central Valley and Western Valley regions. Many excellent independent estates are scattered across these areas, all diligently cultivating ever more refined washed and honey-processed coffee beans. Let's look forward to more honey-process surprises from Costa Rica.

Honey Processing Methods

The honey processing methods we typically see include: Yellow Honey, Red Honey, and Black Honey.

Yellow Honey

About 40% of the mucilage is removed. The drying method requires the most direct heat absorption, with maximum sun exposure, taking about 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 and direct sun exposure is reduced — shade nets are often used — taking about 12 days.

Black Honey

Almost no mucilage is removed. Drying takes the longest time, at least 2 weeks, with coverings used to avoid too much direct sunlight so the cherries do not dry too quickly, allowing a more complete sugar conversion.

Costa Rican Coffee Quality

Although Costa Rica has earned the respect of coffee connoisseurs through its honey-processed beans, this success is inseparable from the country's superb geography and climate — and from the fact that everything it grows is Arabica. Costa Rica's top-quality beans are graded "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB), followed by Hard Bean (HB) and Semi Hard Bean (SH) in descending order of quality, which also serves as its grading system. Strictly Hard Beans grow at altitudes above 1500 meters, and altitude has always stood for coffee quality — the higher, the better. The altitude also brings abundant rainfall, which benefits coffee tree growth; meanwhile, the cooler nighttime temperatures at high altitude slow tree growth, allowing the coffee cherries to absorb more nutrients and producing richer flavors in the cup.

Flavor Profile

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

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

Finca La Maria Black Honey Process

This batch of Finca La Maria black honey coffee comes from the famous Tarrazu region of Costa Rica. Although its specialty coffee scene started relatively late, Costa Rica's development has been remarkably fast, and with the gentle fruit acidity, smooth mouthfeel, and sweet, high-quality berry flavors that honey processing brings, it should not be underestimated. Black honey retains about 80% of the mucilage. The most obvious difference across the spectrum is that from yellow to red to black, each step gets progressively sweeter, combined with richer fruit notes — which is exactly why black honey is so beloved by coffee connoisseurs.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Qian Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Costa Rica
Roast Degree: Medium roast

Coffee Details

Country: Costa Rica
Grade: SHB
Region: Tarrazu
Roast Level: Medium roast
Processing Method: Black honey process
Variety: Catuai
Estate: Finca La Maria
Flavor: Preserved plum, honey, brown sugar

Catuai Variety

Catuai is a coffee variety that is an artificial hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai has good resistance to natural disasters, especially wind and rain.

Catuai trees are relatively low-growing. Compared with other coffee trees, Catuai fruits attach more firmly and are not easy to harvest. The fruits come in both red and yellow varieties. To date, no superior taste has been found in yellow fruits compared to red ones. On the contrary, some cuppers have found that although coffee from certain yellow fruits has good acidity, the cleanliness of the mouthfeel falls short of coffee from red fruits.

Catuai was cultivated in Brazil and is now widely planted throughout Central America.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The V60 is FrontStreet Coffee's favorite dripper for beans like this, and it is the one most experienced brewers will recommend to newcomers — practical, easy to learn, and good looking. Designed by Hario, the Japanese glassware maker founded in Tokyo in 1921, the V60 was redesigned in 2004 into the shape we know today and named for its distinctive 60° cone angle and "V" silhouette. The cone and single large outlet let the brewer's flow control directly shape the extraction, and its fast, unobstructed drainage brings out layered aromatics and lively acidity. FrontStreet especially favors the resin version: it holds heat well and, thanks to standardized mass production, has the smallest dimensional tolerances of any material.

For V60 brewing, floral-and-fruit-forward light roasts shine brightest. FrontStreet's Ethiopia Huakui, bursting with tropical fruit — strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, even lychee — and the classic FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Guodingding with its citrus, berry, floral notes and green-tea-like finish, both pair beautifully with the V60's quick extraction. If you prefer something more legendary, the FrontStreet Panama Esmeralda Red Label Gesha offers elegant jasmine florals with citrus, bergamot, and black-tea notes, a clean and transparent body, and a long sweet finish. For darker, fuller-bodied preferences, FrontStreet's PWN Indonesia Golden Mandheling (herbal and dark chocolate, low acidity) and Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 (perfectly balanced cream, caramel, chocolate, and nuts) are the classic choices.