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

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Brewing Instructions

Pour-over black honey coffee: 15g of coffee grounds, medium grind (Fuji ghost tooth blade grinder #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 halfway before pouring again. Slowly pour until reaching 225g total, discarding the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Costa Rican Coffee Excellence

Although Costa Rica has gained recognition from coffee connoisseurs through its honey-processed coffee beans, this is also inseparable from Costa Rica's superior geographical and climatic conditions, as well as the exclusive cultivation of Arabica varieties. Costa Rica's premium coffee beans are called "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB), followed by Hard Bean (HB) and Semi-Hard Bean (SH) in descending quality order, which also serves as its grading system. Strictly Hard Bean grows at elevations above 1,500 meters, and altitude has always represented coffee quality—higher altitude means better quality. Additionally, the high altitude creates sufficient rainfall, which is very beneficial for coffee tree growth. Moreover, the low nighttime temperatures at high elevations slow down tree growth, allowing coffee cherries 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 aftertaste

This batch of black honey processed coffee from the Finca La Minita estate comes from Costa Rica's famous Tarrazú region. Although Costa Rica started developing specialty coffee relatively late, its specialty coffee industry has developed rapidly. With the gentle fruit acidity, smooth mouthfeel, and sweet, high-quality berry flavors of honey processing, it has become a force to be reckoned with. Black honey processing retains about 80% of the mucilage, with their most obvious distinction being that yellow, red, and black honey processing 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: Raw/roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Costa Rica
Roast Degree: Medium roast

Coffee Specifications

Country: Costa Rica

Grade: SHB

Region: Tarrazú

Roast Degree: Medium roast

Processing Method: Black honey processing

Variety: Catuai

Estate: Finca La Minita

Flavor: Preserved plum, honey, brown sugar

Catuai Variety

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 firmly and are not easy to harvest. The fruits come in both red and yellow varieties. To date, no superior taste has been found in yellow fruits compared to red ones. On the contrary, some people have found in cupping that although coffee processed from some yellow fruits has 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.

Tarrazú Region

The country's most famous growing area is Tarrazú, near the capital San José. The Tarrazú region has the highest average latitude, excellent climate and soil conditions, making it Costa Rica's most famous and generally recognized finest major coffee-producing region. Tres Rios is a famous sub-region within the Tarrazú region. The most famous Costa Rican single-estate coffee in the specialty coffee world is La Minita estate in 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 honey-processed coffee surprises from Costa Rica together.

Honey Processing Methods

The honey processing methods we commonly see are: yellow honey, red honey, and black honey.

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

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

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

Important Notice :

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