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Costa Rica Tank Estate Flavor Profile and Characteristics

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional barista exchange, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). Villasarchi is a variety that originated in Costa Rica, a mutation of Typica. Like Typica, it has a 60-degree angle between branches and trunk, with bronze-colored leaves. This variety grows particularly well in high-altitude areas and has strong wind resistance, able to grow even in poor soil conditions.

Villasarchi

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Villasarchi originated in Costa Rica and is a variety of Typica. Like Typica, it has a 60-degree angle between branches and trunk, with bronze-colored leaves. This variety grows exceptionally well in high-altitude areas and has strong wind resistance. It can also grow in poor soil conditions, though it thrives better under shade trees. The most prominent characteristic in its flavor profile is its excellent sweetness and pleasant acidity.

Costa Rica West Valley Monte Solis EI Tanque Villa Sarhi Natural

For pour-over Villasarchi: Use 15g of coffee grounds with medium grinding (Fuji Royal's burr grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature of 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Continue pouring to 105g, then pause until the water level drops halfway. Slowly pour until reaching 225g total, avoiding the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, with extraction time of 2:00.

Coffee Details

Country: Costa Rica

Grade: SHB

Region: Central Valley

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Processing Method: Natural Process

Variety: Villasarchi

Estate: EI Tanque

Flavor Notes: Lime, Caramel, Nuts

Costa Rica's premium coffee beans are known as "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB), followed by Hard Bean (HB) and Semi-Hard Bean (SH) in descending quality order. This grading system is simultaneously used for classification. Strictly Hard Bean grows at altitudes above 1,500 meters, and altitude has always represented coffee quality - higher altitude means better quality. Additionally, the significant elevation drop creates abundant rainfall, which is very beneficial for coffee tree growth. Moreover, the low temperatures at high altitudes slow down tree growth, allowing coffee cherries to absorb more nutrients, resulting in richer coffee flavors.

The three most famous producing regions are Tarrazú, located south of Costa Rica's capital San José, as well as the Central Valley and Western Valley regions. Natural processing is a very traditional method that uses minimal resources, but due to too many uncontrollable factors, doing it well is extremely difficult. Francesca has added many innovations, such as using a Brix meter commonly equipped in the wine industry to measure the sugar content of fruits. She determines the optimal harvest time and processing method based on Brix sugar content, with only those exceeding 20% sweetness undergoing natural processing. Typical fruit Brix values are 14 for apples, 12 for lemons, and 18 for passion fruit, but La Hajas' coffee cherries can reach 21-22%. La Hajas produces not only natural and honey-processed coffees but also washed coffees. The farm grows varieties including Caturra, Catuai, Villa Sarchi, and has also introduced small quantities of Kenyan varieties SL28, Obata, and others.

The natural processing process is quite labor-intensive. Hand-picked high-sugar cherries are first placed on African raised beds to dry in the sun for about 10 days, then moved to greenhouses covered with plastic sheets to create more direct heat energy for continuous drying until reaching 11.5% moisture content. This slow drying process allows the raw beans to develop more natural sweetness from within, but also requires more meticulous care and precise calculation of turning frequency. When the bright red cherries finally turn black and emit aromas of fruit cake, caramel, and even sherry wine, the process is successfully completed.