Costa Rica San Roman Coffee Bean Market Status and Costa Rica Coffee Brand Recommendations

About FrontStreet Coffee

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Product Information

Manufacturer: FrontStreet Coffee
Address: Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Manufacturer Contact: 020-38364473
Shelf Life: 30 days
Net Weight: 227g
Packaging: Bulk
Taste: Mellow and aromatic
Coffee Bean State: Roasted coffee beans
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Costa Rica
Coffee Type: Costa Rican coffee
Roast Level: Medium roast

Flavor Description

Berry notes, caramel, cream, with subtle spices.

Costa Rican Coffee Heritage

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to cultivate coffee, boasting a long history and a complete system from production to sales. Located in the Central American isthmus with numerous volcanoes, the country enjoys natural advantages of abundant sunlight and fertile land. The climate is harmoniously influenced by Pacific and Atlantic ocean currents and sea breezes, producing coffee with unique local microclimate characteristics. In terms of both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has consistently received worldwide recognition and is rated as one of the world's high-quality coffees. Costa Rican coffee cultivation has a two-hundred-year history, originally planted on the slopes of Poas and Barva volcanoes in what is now called the Central Valley region. The seven major coffee-producing regions are distributed from northwest to southeast along the inland central plateau.

Due to the high status of coffee cultivation in Costa Rica, coffee farmers hold a prestigious position in society. In 1897, capital city residents witnessed the inauguration of the National Theater, donated by coffee tycoons. Coffee wealth brought stability to Costa Rica's politics, economy, and democracy—a rarity among Central American countries. Additionally, Costa Rica has established laws that only permit the cultivation of Arabica coffee, with Robusta being considered "prohibited" within its borders—an unprecedented initiative worldwide.

Costa Rica's production volume is not large, with an annual output of about 110,000 tons, ranking seventh in Central and South America. The country primarily focuses on newer coffee varieties such as Catuai, Catimor, and Mundo Novo, while ancient Bourbon and Typica varieties are less common. Several local varieties have also been developed, the most famous being the Bourbon variety Villa Sarchi, known for its elegant flavor profile. Brazil has also introduced and cultivated this variety, which has won awards. Furthermore, Costa Rican research institutions have tirelessly worked to improve the hybrid Catimor, attempting to reduce the Robusta lineage while enhancing the Arabica flavor characteristics of Catimor. In recent years, it has been exported to Asia for trial cultivation.

Tarrazú: Costa Rica's Premier Coffee Region

The country's most famous growing region is Tarrazú, located near the capital San José. The Tarrazú region has the highest average latitude, excellent climate, and superior soil conditions, making it the most famous and widely recognized excellent coffee-producing region in Costa Rica. Tres Rios is a renowned sub-region within the Tarrazú area. The most famous Costa Rican single-origin coffee in the specialty coffee world is La Minita estate in the Tarrazú region, with an annual production of only 160,000 pounds.

San Román Processing Facility

The San Román processing facility primarily uses the washed processing method and is known for producing coffee with intense, rich flavors and a solid mouthfeel. Coffee cherries are hand-sorted, with farmers removing overripe or underripe cherries before processing. A 3-disc Aagaarde pulping machine is used to remove the skin and pulp, followed by machine sorting of coffee beans into three grades based on density. Grade 1 and 2 green beans are fermented separately, while Grade 3 consists of lower-quality beans. The green beans are fermented in a cool place for approximately 24-36 hours. After fermentation, the beans are washed and sorted again by density in the washing channels. The beans are then randomly soaked in clean water overnight. After processing and roasting, the bittersweet chocolate flavor creates a substantial sweetness reminiscent of cream candy, blending with subtle wine-like acidity. The aromatic fragrance and the fruity sweetness of chocolate beans leave a lasting impression.

Costa Rica's volcanic terrain provides fertile volcanic ash, mild and suitable temperatures, and stable, abundant rainfall—all factors contributing to coffee being one of the country's main agricultural products. The seven major producing regions are: Tarrazú, Tres Rios, Orosi, Central Valley, West Valley, Turrialba, and Brunca.

Brewing Instructions

Hand-pour Costa Rican San Román: Use 15g of coffee, ground to medium consistency (using Fuji Smart G with ghost tooth burrs set to 4). Use a V60 dripper with water temperature between 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water and let it bloom for 27 seconds. Continue pouring until reaching 105g, then pause and wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops halfway before continuing to pour slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the final tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio is 1:15, with a total extraction time of 2:00.

Product Details: Costa Rica San Romón Royal Coffee

Country: Costa Rica
Grade: SHB (Strictly Hard Bean)
Altitude: 1,700 meters
Region: Tarrazú region
Roast Level: Medium-dark roast
Processing Method: Washed processing
Varieties: Catuai, Catimor
Processing Facility: San Román processing facility
Flavor: Berry notes, caramel, cream, with subtle spices

The best Costa Rican coffee seemingly comes from small processing facilities scattered throughout the major coffee-producing regions, including Tarrazú and West Valley. This so-called coffee revolution began 15 years ago, dramatically changing how roasting experts and importers perceive Costa Rican coffee. Centered around processing facilities that collect coffee beans from surrounding small farms for processing, these farms are typically small communities or family-owned operations growing coffee on their small plots of land, with all coffee being processed and dried by a single small processing facility. The quality and flavor of Royal Coffee are quite unique, largely thanks to the cooperation between coffee producers and our company.

Costa Rican Coffee Industry

Coffee cultivation in Costa Rica was introduced from Cuba in 1779, with the first coffee exports beginning in 1820. Currently, there are approximately 32,000 coffee farmers, with an average cultivation area of less than one hectare (10,000 square meters) per farmer. Costa Rica has a population of 4.1 million (as of 2006), with coffee cultivation covering 82,500 hectares. Annual production reaches 1.7 million bags (60kg each), with domestic annual consumption at 380,000 bags. The average per capita annual consumption is 5.5kg, higher than Japan's 4kg consumption, while Taiwan's current average consumption is only slightly above 1kg.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473