Costa Rican Black Honey Coffee Brands and Brewing Steps

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Costa Rican Coffee Excellence

Although Costa Rica has gained recognition from coffee connoisseurs through its honey-processed coffee beans, this is 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 known as "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 altitudes above 1500 meters, and altitude has always represented coffee quality—higher altitude means better quality. Additionally, the significant altitude drop results in abundant rainfall, which is very beneficial for coffee tree growth. Moreover, the low temperatures at high altitudes 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, rounded and full-bodied, persistent finish

This batch of Black Honey processed coffee from the Finca Las Lajas estate comes from Costa Rica's famous Tarrazú region. Although the development of specialty coffee started relatively late, Costa Rica's specialty coffee industry has developed rapidly. With the gentle fruit acidity, smooth mouthfeel, and sweet, premium berry flavors of honey processing, it has become a force to be reckoned with. Black honey processing retains about 80% of the mucilage pulp, with their most obvious distinction being that from yellow, red, to black honey, each becomes progressively sweeter. Combined with richer fruit notes, it has deeply won the favor of coffee connoisseurs.

Coffee Details

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: Roasted coffee beans

Sugar Content: Sugar-free

Origin: Costa Rica

Roast Degree: Medium roast

Country: Costa Rica

Grade: SHB

Region: Tarrazú

Roast Level: Medium roast

Processing Method: Black honey processing

Variety: Catuai

Estate: Finca Las Lajas

Flavor: Preserved plum, honey, brown sugar

Catuai Variety

Catuai is a coffee variety artificially hybridized from Caturra and Mondu Novo. Catuai has relatively 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 difficult 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. In fact, some people have discovered in cupping that although coffee processed from some yellow fruits has good acidity, the cleanliness of the coffee 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, located near the capital San José. The Tarrazú region has the highest average latitude, excellent climate and soil conditions, making it the most famous and generally recognized best coffee-producing region in Costa Rica. Tres Rios is a famous sub-region within the Tarrazú area. The most famous Costa Rican single-origin coffee in the specialty coffee world is the 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 are distributed many excellent independent estates, all diligently cultivating more refined washed and honey-processed coffee beans. Let us look forward to more honey-processed coffee surprises from Costa Rica.

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; drying requires the most direct heat absorption, receiving maximum sunlight exposure, taking about 8 days to reach stable moisture content.

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

Black Honey: Almost no mucilage is removed; drying takes the longest time, minimum 2 weeks, using coverings to avoid excessive sunlight, preventing too-rapid drying, allowing more thorough sugar conversion.

Brewing Method

Pour-over brewing for black honey. 15g of coffee, medium grind (using Fujiyama "ghost tooth" grinder setting 4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. First pour 30g of water, bloom for 27 seconds. Pour to 105g and stop. Wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473