Characteristics of Costa Rica Black Honey Bean and Costa Rica Black Honey Coffee Brewing Methods

For professional barista exchanges, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

This batch of Black Honey processed coffee from the Frailes Estate originates from the renowned Tarrazú region in Costa Rica. Although Costa Rica was relatively late in developing specialty coffee, its specialty coffee sector has grown rapidly. With the gentle fruit acidity, smooth mouthfeel, and sweet, high-quality berry flavors of honey-processed coffee, Costa Rica has become a force to be reckoned with. Black honey processing retains about 80% of the fruit pulp mucilage, with the most obvious distinction being that yellow, red, and black honey varieties become progressively sweeter. Combined with richer fruit notes, they are deeply loved 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: Tarrazú

Roast Level: Medium roast

Processing Method: Black Honey

Variety: Catuai

Estate: Frailes Estate

Flavor Notes: Preserved plum, honey, brown sugar

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

The Catuai tree variety is relatively low-growing. Compared to other coffee trees, Catuai fruits grow more compactly and are not easy to harvest. The fruits come in both red and yellow varieties. To date, no significant taste difference has been found between yellow and red fruits. In fact, some cupping tests have revealed that while coffee processed from yellow fruits may have good acidity, the cleanliness of the coffee's mouthfeel is inferior to that of red fruits.

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

Brewing Method

Pour-over brewing for Black Honey: 15g of coffee, medium grind (using Fujiyama's ghost tooth grinder setting 4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and pause. 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.

Tarrazú Region

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

Its three most famous origins are Tarrazú, located south of Costa Rica's capital San José, as well as the Central Valley and Western Valley regions. Among these, many excellent independent estates are distributed, all dedicated to cultivating more refined washed and honey-processed coffee beans. Let us look forward to more surprises from Costa Rica's honey-processed coffees.

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; drying requires the most direct heat absorption, receiving maximum sunlight exposure, taking about 8 days to reach stable moisture content.

Red Honey: About 25% of the mucilage is removed; compared to yellow honey, drying time is longer, with reduced direct sun exposure, sometimes using shade nets, taking about 12 days.

Black Honey: Almost no mucilage is removed; drying takes the longest time, at least 2 weeks, using coverings to avoid intense sunlight and prevent too-rapid drying, allowing more complete sugar conversion.

Although Costa Rica has gained recognition from coffee connoisseurs through its honey-processed coffee beans, this is inseparable from Costa Rica's superior geographical and climatic conditions, and the fact that all cultivated coffee varieties are Arabica. Costa Rica's high-quality coffee beans are called "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB), followed by Hard Bean (HB) and Semi-Hard Bean (SH) in decreasing quality order, which also serves as its grading system. SHB grows at altitudes above 1,500 meters, and altitude has always represented coffee quality—higher altitude means better quality. Additionally, the high altitude drop creates abundant rainfall, which is very beneficial for coffee tree growth. Moreover, the low night temperatures at high altitudes slow tree growth, allowing coffee fruits to absorb more nutrients, resulting in richer coffee flavors.

Flavor Profile

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

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

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473