Costa Rica Honey Process Geisha Coffee Beans Market Review & Best Geisha Coffee Brands

For professional barista communication, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

When it comes to Geisha coffee beans, many people are captivated by their wonderful floral aroma and rich fruit sweetness. In 2015, there was even a huge wave of Panama Geisha enthusiasm, leading many to mistakenly believe that Geisha is a coffee variety exclusive to Panama. This is not actually the case. The Geisha variety was first discovered in Ethiopia in 1931 and later, through a series of transplantations and cultivation, it was able to thrive in other countries and regions.

Costa Rican Geisha has a bit more richness than Panamanian Geisha. If Panamanian Geisha is like a fresh and delicate style, then Costa Rican Geisha belongs to a more reserved style.

Costa Rican Coffee Overview

Costa Rica is located in the Central American isthmus at 10°N latitude and 84°W longitude. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the east and the North Pacific Ocean to the west. Costa Rica is situated on the low-latitude volcanic belt of Central America, with the Central Plateau and mountainous regions ranging from 800 to 2000 meters in altitude, making it suitable for coffee cultivation. Costa Rican coffee has always been known for its extremely balanced, clean, and bright flavor profile, with fruity acidity reminiscent of berries. Exceptional Costa Rican coffee exhibits spice and cocoa flavors in its aftertaste. The country's most famous growing region is Tarrazu, near the capital San José. The Tarrazu region has the highest average latitude and excellent climate and soil conditions, making it the most famous and generally recognized as the best major coffee-producing region in Costa Rica. Tres Rios is a renowned sub-region within Tarrazu. The most famous Costa Rican single-estate coffee in the specialty coffee world is La Minita estate in the Tarrazu region, with an annual production of only 160,000 pounds.

Costa Rica Tarrazzu Honey Geisha

Country: Costa Rica

Grade: SHB

Region: Tarrazu

Roast Level: Light Roast

Processing Method: Honey Process

Honey Processing Method:

After removing the skin and pulp, the coffee beans with mucilage are dried. The key to distinguishing different honey processes lies in this remaining mucilage: the proportion of mucilage retained, drying time, and drying method.

Characteristics of Honey Processing:

Sugar content is tested during harvest, and only coffee fruits with sugar content between 21-22% are picked. The honey process differs from other processing methods as it requires drying on AFRICAN BEDS (drying beds). If dried directly on concrete or soil, the coffee beans are easily scratched during turning, leading to bacterial infection. Direct soil drying can also impart earthy flavors to the coffee beans.

Taste Differences Between Honey and Washed Processing:

Higher sweetness than washed processing, higher sugar content, and relatively more body (under the same roast level).

Beans processed using the honey method need good ventilation during drying, otherwise the retained mucilage can easily ferment or mold, causing off-flavors.

Common honey processing methods we typically see include: Yellow Honey, Red Honey, and Black Honey.

Variety: Geisha

Processing Mill: Otis Rock Mill

Flavor: Floral tea, rose hip, green grape flavors

Costa Rica's Meil processing method (also known as honey processing) is quite distinctive. Lao Li recently obtained these Costa Rican red honey processed beans and decided to research the unique methods of Costa Rica's Meil processing.

Brewing Parameters

Hand-pour for yellow honey. 15g of coffee, ground to medium-fine (Komachi Fuji 3.5 grind setting), V60 dripper, water temperature 91-93°C. First pour 30g of water, bloom for 27 seconds, then pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to halfway before continuing the pour. Slowly pour until reaching 225g total. Avoid the tail end. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Otis Rock Estate Introduction

Costa Rica's Otis Rock Mill is an emerging Costa Rican estate. The family cooperative was founded in 1994 but didn't establish its own processing mill until 2005, now with 17 years of history. The Otis Rock Mill is located about 5km north of San Marcos town in Tarrazu, overseeing ten coffee estates including the Yano Estate, with altitudes ranging from 1500 to 2000 meters on mountain slopes, all classified as SHB (Strictly Hard Bean), the highest grade.

Otis 2000 Meters Estate Geisha - Golden Honey Process

Flavor: The dry aroma features delicate spring tea fragrance mixed with hints of orange peel and chocolate notes, floral tea, rose hip, green grape flavors, gradually revealing lemon and juicy peach sweetness as temperature changes, with the aftertaste being orange chocolate.

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front Street, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou
Contact: 020-38364473
Shelf Life: 90 days
Net Weight: 100g
Packaging: Bulk coffee beans
Roast Level: Coffee beans (roasted)
Sugar Content: Sugar-free
Origin: Costa Rica
Roast Degree: Light Roast

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473