Differences, Distinctions, and Awards of Costa Rica San Roman Estate Single-Origin Coffee Beans

Costa Rica San Roman Estate Single Origin Bean Differences, Distinctions, and Awards

Costa Rica San Roman Processing Plant Royal Coffee

Costa Rica San Ramon Royal Coffee

Country: Costa Rica

Grade: SHB

Altitude: 1700M

Region: Tarrazu Region

Roast Level: Medium-Dark Roast

Processing Method: Washed Process

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai

Processing Plant: San Roman Processing Plant

Flavor Notes: Berry aroma, caramel, cream, subtle spice

Costa Rica's very best coffee, it seems, comes from small processing plants scattered across the main growing regions, including Tarrazu and West Valley. This so-called coffee revolution began 15 years ago and radically changed how roasters and importers regard Costa Rican coffee. The model centers on micro-mills that collect cherries from surrounding small farms for processing — farms that are mostly small communities or family operations growing coffee on their own plots, with everything processed and dried at a single small mill. The quality and character of Royal Coffee are genuinely distinctive, owing much to the close collaboration between producers and our company.

Coffee cultivation in Costa Rica began in 1779 with plants introduced from Cuba, and the first exports shipped in 1820. Today roughly 32,000 coffee farmers work the land, each cultivating less than one hectare (10,000㎡) on average. Costa Rica's population stood at 4.1 million (2006), with 82,500 hectares under coffee, annual production of 1.7 million bags (60kgs each), domestic consumption of 380,000 bags a year, and per capita consumption of 5.5kgs — higher than Japan's 4kgs, while Taiwan's average is only a little above 1kg.

Costa Rica was the first Central American country to grow coffee, with a long history and a complete system running from production to sale. Sitting on the Central American isthmus dotted with volcanoes, it enjoys natural advantages of sunshine and land, and a climate moderated by Pacific and Atlantic currents and sea breezes — producing coffees that carry the imprint of their local microclimate terroir. In both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has long won worldwide recognition as world-class. Cultivation here spans two hundred years, first planted on the slopes of the Poás and Barva volcanoes in what is today the Central Valley, with the seven main growing regions strung from northwest to southeast along the inland Central Plateau.

Coffee farming is a respected profession in Costa Rica, and growers hold an honored place in national life. In 1897, the capital's citizens watched the inauguration of the National Theater donated by coffee millionaires. Coffee wealth brought Costa Rica a political, economic, and democratic stability rare among Central American nations. The country even passed a world-first law allowing only Arabica cultivation — Robusta is legally "contraband" within its borders.

Output is modest: about 110,000 tons a year, ranking seventh in Central and South America. The country favors more recent varieties such as Caturra, Catuai, and Mundo Novo, while the ancient Bourbon and Typica are rarely seen. Several local variants have emerged too, the most famous being the Bourbon mutation Villalobos, prized for its elegant profile and also grown in Brazil, where it has taken awards. Costa Rican research institutions have likewise worked tirelessly to improve the Catimor hybrid, trying to dilute its Robusta heritage and restore Arabica flavor; recent lots have been exported to Asia for trial cultivation.

The country's most famous growing region is Tarrazu, near the capital San José. Tarrazu sits at the highest average elevation, with excellent climate and soil, making it the most renowned — and generally acknowledged best — major coffee region in Costa Rica. Tres Ríos is a celebrated small producing zone within Tarrazu. The most famous Costa Rican single-estate coffee in the specialty world is La Minita estate in Tarrazu, with an annual production of only 160,000 pounds.

The San Roman Processing Plant relies primarily on washed processing and is known for coffees with an intense, rich, solid mouthfeel. Cherries are hand-sorted, with farmers removing overripe or unripe fruit before processing. A 3-disc Aagaarde pulper strips skin and pulp, after which the beans are machine-sorted by density into three grades. Grade 1 and 2 beans ferment separately; grade 3 holds the lower-quality lots. The green beans ferment in a cool place for about 24-36 hours, are then washed and re-graded by density in the washing channels, and finally soaked in clean water overnight. After processing and roasting, the bittersweet chocolate character develops a rich sweetness like cream candy, laced with subtle wine acidity — an inviting aroma in which chocolatey fruit sweetness lingers long.

The country's volcanic terrain provides fertile volcanic ash, moderate temperatures, and stable, abundant rainfall — all reasons coffee remains one of Costa Rica's signature agricultural products. The seven producing regions are: Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Central Valley, West Valley, Turrialba, and Brunca.

Pour-over Costa Rica San Roman

15g coffee, medium grind (small Fuji ghost-tooth grinder #4), V60 dripper, water temperature 88-89°C. Pour 30g of water first for a 27-second bloom, then pour to 105g and stop. Once the level drops halfway, continue pouring slowly to 225g total. Cut the tail section. Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, extraction time 2:00.

TARRAZU

Tarrazu has built its reputation on quality for decades — coffee from this region is almost automatically rated high-grade. In practice, beans from different farms get blended into large lots, and the Tarrazu name has accumulated enough brand strength that coffee grown outside the region is sometimes labeled Tarrazu to lift its value. Costa Rica's highest coffee farms are found here. As in many other regions, the profitable harvest falls during the distinct dry season.

Altitude: 1,200-1,900m

Harvest: November - March

Costa Rica San Roman Processing Plant

Coffee Region: Tarrazu

Coffee Varieties: Caturra, Catuai

Annual Rainfall: 2000mm

Grading Standard: SHB

Average Temperature: 19°C

Processing Method: Washed Process

Green Bean Specifications: 17-18 screen

Cultivation Altitude: 1700M

Soil Type: Volcanic soil

The finest Costa Rican coffee tends to come from the small processing plants scattered through the main producing regions, Tarrazu and West Valley included. This so-called coffee revolution began 15 years ago and transformed how roasters and importers see the country's coffee.

Centered on the mills, cherries are collected from surrounding small farms for processing. Those farms are mostly small communities or family operations, and all of their coffee is processed and dried at one small mill.

San Roman works primarily in washed processing and is known for intense, rich, solid mouthfeel. Cherries are hand-sorted, overripe and unripe fruit removed before processing; a 3-disc Aagaarde pulper strips skin and pulp; the beans are density-sorted by machine into three grades, with grades 1 and 2 fermented separately and grade 3 holding lower-quality lots. The green beans ferment in a cool place for about 24-36 hours, are washed and re-graded by density in the channels, then soaked in clean water overnight.

Flavor Description: Tea aroma, candy sweetness, grape notes, caramel fragrance, cream, subtle spice notes.

The bittersweet chocolate character unfolds into a rich sweetness like cream candy.

Costa Rica

Population: 4,586,000

Costa Rica has long sold its coffee on the names of its producing regions. But flavors vary widely within each region, making it well worth exploring each area to discover just what kind of beans it can produce.

CENTRAL VALLEY

The Central Valley, home to the capital San José, is the country's most densely populated area and its oldest coffee-growing region. It is usually divided into the sub-regions of San José, Heredia, and Alajuela, and its topography and soils are shaped by three great volcanoes: Irazú, Barva, and Poás.

Altitude: 900-1,600m

Harvest: November - March

WEST VALLEY

The West Valley received its first settlers in the 19th century, coffee in tow. The region divides into 6 sub-regions centered on the cities of San Ramón, Palmares, Naranjo, Grecia, Sarchi, and Atenas. Sarchi even has a variety of its own, Villa Sarchi. The highest ground lies around Naranjo, where some truly remarkable coffees grow at those elevations.

Altitude: 700-1,600m

Harvest: October - February

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If San Roman's washed clarity appeals to you, it helps to understand what washing does: as the beans soak, sugars are consumed and organic acids build, so washed coffees keep more of the bean's own aromatics while gaining bright fruit acidity and a clean, fresh finish. FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe Guodingding Cooperative lot shows this style at its best — jasmine florals and vivid citrus acidity, with green tea and honey tones emerging at a medium-light roast; it suits pour-over, cold brew, and espresso alike.

For washed coffee at full intensity, the FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato exploits Kenya's mastery of double washing — repeated rinsing and soaking that pushes the juiciness to the extreme, layering cherry tomato, dried dark plum, snow pear, black plum, and yellow sugar in a sweet-tart, juicy cup. And for a benchmark of balance, the Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1: washed processing keeps its aroma dense while the cup pours out pure hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel, perfectly even — no single note dominating, none missing.