What Does Costa Rica Yellow Honey Taste Like & How to Brew Costa Rican Coffee

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Costa Rican Coffee Heritage and Processing Methods

Costa Rica has a long history of coffee cultivation, but in the past 10+ years, the more innovative "dry" processing method has become a trend. Collectively known as "honey processing," this new method utilizes pulping machines to adjust the degree of pulp removal, producing varying levels of "honey sensation" from light to intense as colors range from light to dark (white, yellow-red-white, yellow-red-black). Each presents different depths of acidity, complex aromas, and body—each with its own merits.

The Herbazu processing plant is located in the Naranjo producing region of the West Valley area. This region is highly recognized for its quality. Besides having its own coffee plantation estates, the plant also processes and produces green beans for nearby estates and small coffee farmers.

Flavor Profile

Flavor notes include brown sugar, floral notes, almond, black tea, orange, sweet spice sensations, gentle acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, with an excellent finish.

Caturra Variety

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 more convenient. Unfortunately, like Bourbon, it suffers from the biennial production cycle problem. However, its adaptability is strong—it doesn't require shade trees and can thrive in direct sunlight, earning it the name "Sun Coffee." It can adapt to high-density planting but requires more fertilizer, increasing costs, so initial acceptance by coffee farmers was low.

However, during the 1970s when coffee prices skyrocketed, farmers switched to Caturra to increase yields. With vigorous promotion by Brazilian and Colombian authorities, the results were fruitful. Farmer acceptance of Caturra meant a major transformation in cultivation techniques. Brazil and Colombia adopted high-yield, high-density sun-grown cultivation methods. By 1990, one million hectares could harvest 14 million bags of coffee beans, increasing production capacity by 60%. No wonder Caturra, with its high yield and high quality, has become a variety relied upon by coffee-producing countries worldwide.

Brewing Method

Hand-pour for yellow honey process: 15g coffee, medium grind (using Fuji's ghost tooth grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g water, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway before continuing to pour. Slowly pour until reaching 225g water total, discarding the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Caturra is suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters, showing strong altitude adaptability. The higher the altitude, the better the flavor, but yield decreases relatively—this is the fate of specialty coffee beans. Academic circles sometimes describe Caturra as the intensive, sun-grown version of Bourbon, which is quite apt. There is also a yellow Caturra variant (Caturra Amarello) in Central and South America, but its reputation doesn't match that of Yellow Bourbon.

When Caturra is lightly roasted, the acidic aroma is prominent and the overall profile is bright. With proper processing, the sweetness can perform excellently, but the coffee body is relatively low compared to Bourbon, and the mouthfeel cleanliness is somewhat lacking.

Typically, Caturra produces red berries, but in very rare regions, there are yellow Caturras, such as the very few yellow Caturras grown in Hawaii.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Dazhen Coffee FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Qianjie, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Ingredients: In-house roasted
Shelf life: 90 days
Net weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
State: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar content: Sugar-free
Origin: Costa Rica
Coffee type: Other
Roast level: Medium roast

Coffee Details

Costa Rica Helsar De Zarcero

Country: Costa Rica
Grade: SHB
Region: West Valley
Roast level: Medium roast
Processing method: Yellow honey

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

Costa Rican coffee has always been considered a classic flavor profile—balanced, clean, and mild are its fundamental characteristics. This batch from the Helsar processing plant in the West Valley region is renowned for its excellent natural geographical conditions and superior regional cultivation management techniques. It presents nearly perfect classic flavor with vibrant citrus notes in acidity, blackberry fruit aromas, rich acidity and body, melon-like sweetness, smooth mouthfeel, with drupe/light floral notes, and a remarkable coffee flower aroma in the aftertaste. It's a coffee filled with Latin American countryside charm.

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai
Processing plant: Helsar processing plant
Flavor: Brown sugar, almond, black tea

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to receive coffee cultivation, with a long history and a complete system from production to sales. Located in the Central American isthmus, the country has numerous volcanoes and enjoys natural advantages of sunshine and land. Climate-wise, it benefits from the moderation of Pacific and Atlantic ocean currents and sea breezes. The resulting coffee reflects the characteristics of local microclimate terroir conditions. In both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has consistently received worldwide recognition and has been rated as one of the world's high-quality coffees.

Costa Rica's volcanic terrain provides fertile volcanic ash, mild and suitable temperatures, and stable abundant rainfall—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.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473