Is Costa Rican Black Honey Coffee Good? Methods for Making Costa Rican Coffee

Introduction to Costa Rican Coffee

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The country's most famous growing region is Tarrazú, near the capital San José. The Tarrazú region has the highest average latitude, excellent climate, and soil conditions, making it the most renowned and generally recognized as the finest major coffee-producing region in Costa Rica. Tres Rios is a famous sub-region within the Tarrazú growing area. The most famous Costa Rican single-estate 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 growing regions are Tarrazú, located south of the Costa Rican capital San José, as well as the Central Valley and Western Valley regions. Among these, many excellent independent estates are distributed, 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 include: Yellow Honey, Red Honey, and Black Honey.

Yellow Honey

Approximately 40% of the mucilage is removed; the drying method requires the most direct heat absorption, receiving maximum sunlight exposure for drying, reaching stable moisture content in about 8 days.

Red Honey

Approximately 25% of the mucilage is removed; compared to Yellow Honey, the drying time is longer, reducing direct sunlight exposure time, and even using shade nets, lasting about 12 days.

Black Honey

Almost no mucilage is removed; drying takes the longest time, lasting at least 2 weeks, using coverings to avoid excessive sunlight, preventing too-rapid drying, and allowing more complete sugar conversion.

Brewing Method

Hand-poured Black Honey: 15g of coffee grounds, medium grind (small Fuji ghost tooth blade #4), V60 filter, 88-89°C water temperature. First pour 30g of water, bloom for 27 seconds, pour to 105g then stop. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then pour again. Slowly pour until reaching 225g. Avoid the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

Costa Rican Coffee Quality

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, and the fact that all cultivated coffee varieties are Arabica. Costa Rica's high-quality coffee beans are called "Strictly Hard Bean" (SHB), followed by Hard Bean (HB) and Semi-Hard Bean (SH) with decreasing quality levels, 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 high altitude drop creates abundant rainfall, which is very beneficial for coffee tree growth. Moreover, the low nighttime temperatures at high altitudes slow tree growth, allowing coffee cherries to better absorb more nutrients, resulting in richer coffee flavors.

Flavor Profile

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

Texture: Excellent sweetness, gentle fruit acidity, round and full-bodied, persistent aftertaste

This batch of Black Honey processed from the Finca La Amistad estate originates from the famous Tarrazú region of Costa Rica. Although Costa Rica started developing specialty coffee relatively late, its specialty coffee development is now rapid. With the gentle fruit acidity, smooth texture, and sweet, high-quality berry flavors of honey processing, it cannot be underestimated. Black Honey retains about 80% of the mucilage pulp, with the most obvious difference being that from yellow, red, to black, each becomes progressively sweeter. Coupled with richer fruit notes, it is deeply loved by coffee connoisseurs.

Product Information

Manufacturer: Coffee Workshop
Address: No. 10 Bao'an Front 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

Coffee Details

Country: Costa Rica
Grade: SHB
Region: Tarrazú
Roast Level: Medium roast
Processing Method: Black Honey process
Variety: Catuai
Estate: Finca La Amistad
Flavor: Preserved plum, honey, brown sugar

Catuai Variety

Catuai is a coffee variety artificially hybridized from Catuai and Mondu 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 pick. 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 discovered in cupping that although coffee processed from some yellow fruits has good acidity, the cleanliness of the coffee texture is inferior to that from red fruits.

Catuai was cultivated in Brazil and is now widely planted throughout Central America.

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