Costa Rica Black Honey Coffee Price

Although Costa Rica earned its reputation among coffee connoisseurs through honey-processed beans, that reputation also rests on its superior geography and climate and its exclusive cultivation of Arabica. Costa Rica's premium beans are graded "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB), followed by Hard Bean (HB) and Semi-Hard Bean (SH) in descending quality, which also forms its grading system. Strictly Hard Beans grow above 1,500 meters, and altitude has always signalled quality—higher elevation means a better bean. A large altitude drop also brings abundant rainfall, which benefits coffee trees, while the low temperatures at high elevation slow growth and let the cherries absorb more nutrients, producing richer flavour.

Flavor Profile

Plum, honey, brown sugar, orange blossom, white chocolate

Mouthfeel

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

This batch of black honey-processed coffee comes from the Fara Mia Estate in Costa Rica's famous Tarrazú region. Although Costa Rica came to specialty coffee relatively late, its specialty industry developed quickly. With the gentle fruit acidity, smooth mouthfeel, and sweet, premium berry flavours of honey processing, it has become a force to be reckoned with. Black honey processing retains about 80% of the mucilage, and the clearest difference between the styles is that yellow, red, and black honey grow progressively sweeter. Paired with richer fruit notes, they are deeply loved by connoisseurs.

Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
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 processing
Variety: Catuai
Estate: Fara Mia Estate
Flavor: Plum, honey, brown sugar

Catuai is a coffee variety artificially hybridised from Caturra and Mundo Novo. Catuai resists natural disasters well, especially wind and rain.

Catuai trees grow relatively low. Compared with other coffee trees, Catuai fruit grows more compactly and is not easy to harvest. The fruit comes in red and yellow varieties, and to date no superior taste has been found in yellow over red. On the contrary, some cuppers have found that although coffee from yellow fruit has good acidity, its cleanliness is inferior to that of red fruit.

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

Brewing Method

Pour-over black honey: 15g of coffee, medium grind (using Fuji's Ghost Tooth burr grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water, bloom for 27 seconds, pour to 105g and stop, wait until the water level drops to half before continuing, then pour slowly to 225g. Avoid the tail section. Coffee-to-water ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

The country's most famous 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 generally recognised best coffee-producing region in Costa Rica. Tres Rios is a famous sub-region within Tarrazú. The best-known Costa Rican single-estate coffee in the specialty world is La Minita Estate in Tarrazú, with an annual production of only 160,000 pounds.

Its three most famous origins are Tarrazú, south of the capital San José, along with the Central Valley and Western Valley. Distributed among them are many excellent independent estates, all carefully cultivating more refined washed and honey-processed beans.

Honey Processing Methods

The honey methods we commonly see are Yellow Honey, Red Honey, and Black Honey.

Yellow Honey

About 40% of the mucilage is removed; drying requires the most direct heat absorption and maximum sunlight, taking about 8 days to reach a stable moisture content.

Red Honey

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

Black Honey

Almost no mucilage is removed; drying takes the longest, at least 2 weeks, using coverings to avoid excessive sunlight so the beans don't dry too fast, allowing a more complete sugar conversion.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Black honey is the sweetest end of the honey spectrum, and FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Blackberry shows exactly why. Made with a distinctive black honey process—one that removes almost no mucilage, dries for at least two weeks under cover to keep the sun from drying the beans too quickly, and is turned regularly during drying—it is medium-light roasted. Ground, it releases a rich floral aroma, and in the cup it carries grape, berry, and ripe blackberry.

Two more FrontStreet Coffee lots push honey processing further. The FrontStreet Coffee Strawberry Candy is a blend of Panama Gesha and Costa Rican coffee, with the Gesha supplying its classic orange-blossom and honeyed sweetness and the Costa Rican component made with a raisin honey process that keeps 100% of the pectin and uses zero water: ripe cherries are sorted in a water tank, dried on raised beds for at least three days, then pulped with the mucilage left on and turned constantly as they dry. The result keeps the Gesha's floral tea character while adding grape and dried blueberry, soft fruit acidity, an almond finish, and obvious sweetness. FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Mozart uses the same raisin honey approach, an innovation beyond the traditional yellow, red, and black styles that keeps 100% of the pectin and is harder to control than black honey; it brings out richer tropical fruit sweetness, with osmanthus, pineapple, and raisin aromas.

Because these lots are sweet rather than sharp, a gentle V60 brew suits them well. Use 15g of coffee at a medium grind (#4 on a ghost-tooth grinder) at a 1:15 ratio and water at 88-89°C; 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 with a total extraction of about 2:00, skipping the tail end.