Costa Rica Black Honey Flavor Profile and Aroma - Black Honey Coffee Varieties and Prices

Brewing Instructions

Pour-over black honey coffee: 15 g of grounds, medium grind on a Fuji ghost-tooth grinder at #4, V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30 g of water for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105 g and pause. When the water level drops to halfway, pour again. Slowly build to 225 g in total, discarding the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Costa Rican Coffee Excellence

Although Costa Rica earned the recognition of coffee connoisseurs through its honey-processed beans, that reputation is inseparable from its fine geography and climate and from its exclusive cultivation of Arabica. The country's premium beans are graded "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB), followed by Hard Bean (HB) and Semi-Hard Bean (SH) in descending quality, which doubles as its grading system. Strictly Hard Bean grows above 1,500 meters, and altitude has always stood for quality: higher ground means better coffee. The elevation also brings sufficient rainfall, which benefits the trees, while the low nighttime temperatures at high altitude slow growth and let the cherries absorb more nutrients for fuller flavour.

Flavour Profile

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

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

This batch of black honey processed coffee from Finca La Minita comes from Costa Rica's famous Tarrazú region. Although Costa Rica came to specialty coffee relatively late, its specialty sector has developed quickly, and with the gentle fruit acidity, smooth mouthfeel and sweet, high-quality berry flavours of honey processing it has become a serious force. Black honey processing leaves about 80% of the mucilage on the bean, and the clearest difference among the styles is that yellow, red and black honey become progressively sweeter, with richer fruit notes that coffee connoisseurs love.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 227 g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Costa Rica
Roast Level: Medium roast

Coffee Specifications

Country: Costa Rica

Grade: SHB

Region: Tarrazú

Roast Level: Medium roast

Processing Method: Black honey processing

Variety: Catuai

Estate: Finca La Minita

Flavour: Preserved plum, honey, brown sugar

Catuai Variety

Catuai is an artificial hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo. It stands up well to natural hazards, especially wind and rain.

The Catuai tree is relatively low-growing. Compared with other coffee trees, its fruit grows more firmly and is harder to harvest. The fruit comes in both red and yellow types. To date, no superior taste has been found in yellow fruit over red; on the contrary, some cuppers have found that although coffee processed from yellow fruit can have good acidity, its cleanliness in the mouth is inferior to that of red fruit.

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

Tarrazú Region

The country's most famous growing area is Tarrazú, near the capital San José. Tarrazú has the highest average altitude along with excellent climate and soil conditions, making it Costa Rica's most famous and most widely recognised premier coffee region. Tres Rios is a well-known sub-region within Tarrazú. The most famous 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. Many excellent independent estates are spread across them, all focused on cultivating more refined washed and honey-processed coffee. We can look forward together to more honey-processed surprises from Costa Rica.

Honey Processing Methods

The honey processing methods we most often see are yellow honey, red honey and black honey.

Yellow Honey: About 40% of the mucilage is removed; this drying method takes in the most direct heat, with maximum sunlight, and takes 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, with less direct sun exposure and even the use of 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 too much sunlight, preventing the beans from drying too quickly and allowing a more complete sugar conversion.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Honey processing is at its most expressive when sweetness and fruit are allowed to stay layered rather than collapse into one note, and that is exactly what a V60 preserves: its 60° cone and single large hole keep the flow under the brewer's control, so the cup keeps its aromatics and lively acidity instead of turning muddy.

FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Mozart is a natural fit for this style. It is an anaerobic honey-processed bean with a distinctive raisin aroma, and it shows ripe fruit sweetness, clear blueberry and dark grape notes and a clean, lingering finish, whether brewed as pour-over or cold brew. If you want a darker, fuller counterpoint to a honey-processed coffee, FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen Estate is a rare yellow Bourbon from Mogiana, medium-dark roasted into creamy peanut, chocolate, toasted bread and sugarcane sweetness, balanced and smooth enough for pour-over, moka pot or espresso.

For a brighter, washed companion on the same shelf, FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gotiti Cooperative brings jasmine and bright citrus, medium-light roasted into green tea and honey notes, and works just as well as a pour-over, a cold brew or an espresso.