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The History, Culture, Stories, and Allusions of Costa Rican Specialty Single-Origin Coffee Beans

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional barista communication, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). The history, culture, stories, and allusions of Costa Rican specialty single-origin coffee beans. As mentioned on other websites, the varieties grown here are mostly Red Catuai, which is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo. These green beans are not particularly large, approximately 15 mesh in size

For professional barista discussions, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Costa Rica Premium Single Origin Coffee: History, Culture, and Stories

As mentioned on other websites, most varieties grown here are Red Catuai, which is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo. These green beans are not particularly large, around 15 screen size. I wonder if this is a characteristic of this variety?

This batch wasn't roasted very lightly - about 3 minutes after first crack began. Therefore, the overall acidity is much milder, and the aroma isn't particularly prominent, which you can actually smell from the green beans. However, the cleanliness of the mouthfeel is quite satisfying, with gentle citrus acidity that even friends who don't typically drink acidic coffee can accept. The black sugar honey sweetness and cocoa notes linger for a long time before fading.

In recent years, Costa Rica has never disappointed. Its C/P value far surpasses Guatemala's. Whether enjoyed as single origin or used in blends, it's an excellent choice.

Costa Rica, Tarrazu region, Montanas del Diamante Estate, coffee beans, green beans, Linking Coffee, Costa Rica Diamond Mountain

Honey Processing in Coffee

Have you ever wondered what honey processing in coffee means? (This article only discusses red honey processing) Is it better than other processing methods you're used to drinking?

This article explores what honey processing is, its unique characteristics, and its different meanings for baristas and roasters.

Why is it called honey processing?

The main coffee processing methods fall into three categories: natural, washed, and honey processed. Natural processing involves drying coffee cherries directly before removing the outer shell and mucilage layer. Washed processing removes the coffee pulp before drying and uses fermentation to eliminate the mucilage layer. Honey processing is介于 natural and washed methods: the coffee pulp is removed while retaining the mucilage layer for drying.

So you might ask, where's the honey?

The term "honey processing" leads many to believe that this method uses honey to process coffee or that the resulting coffee tastes as sweet as honey, but neither interpretation is correct. The name comes from the very sticky mucilage layer on the coffee beans before drying - the sticky feeling resembles honey. When coffee pulp separates from the beans, the surrounding mucilage layer absorbs moisture from the air during drying, making it sticky.

When coffee pulp is removed, a mucilage layer remains around the coffee beans.

Why is honey processing popular among coffee farmers?

Honey processing began when people noticed that this method could consistently improve their coffee quality, originating in Costa Rica, and this processing method is now trending.

So why did Costa Rican coffee farmers initially consider honey processing? When coffee farmers want to improve their coffee quality or price, they have three options: change the coffee variety, change the growing altitude, or change the processing method. Like most people brewing coffee who prefer simpler methods like adjusting grind size and dose before considering water volume, pressure, and temperature adjustments, most coffee farmers also want to change processing methods first before considering growing new varieties or relocating their farms, which require time and money investments.

Honey processing is time-consuming and requires meticulous technique

Honey processing is not simple - it requires long hours and careful handling. So what does honey processing involve?

First, coffee farmers must select mature coffee cherries from the trees, then remove the outer pulp while retaining the mucilage layer around the beans, as mentioned earlier. The mucilage layer contains high proportions of sugar and acidity, and these sweet and acidic components are key to honey processing.

The next step is the most complex and crucial part of honey processing: drying. Timing must be well-controlled, and duration is critical. If drying time is too short, the mucilage substances cannot transfer into the coffee beans, but time cannot be too long either. Action must be quick to avoid internal fermentation and mold development.

So how to achieve balance? Place beans on drying racks or cement patios. For the first few days, turn the beans several times every hour until reaching the desired moisture content, a step that typically takes 6-10 hours. For the next 6-8 days, turn at least once daily. Time-consuming, isn't it? The reason honey processing drying takes so long is that beans absorb moisture from the air each night, requiring more drying time the next day.

Once coffee drying is complete, it's ready for dry processing and roasting, just like other processing methods.

Honey processed coffee drying on cement patio

Why is honey processing so wonderful?

Since honey processing is so difficult to execute well and time-consuming, you might wonder if it's really worth all the effort?

Absolutely worth it, without a doubt.

Honey processed coffee typically has excellent balance between sweetness and fruit acidity. The flavor is generally less intense than natural processed coffee but fresher and more mellow - what's not to like?

The key to these flavor differences lies in the mucilage layer's sugar and acidity. During drying, the mucilage's sugar becomes increasingly concentrated, and these sugars penetrate into the coffee beans.

Yellow, Red, and Black Honey Processing - What's the Difference?

When buying honey processed coffee, you usually have choices between yellow, red, and black honey. You may have heard that these different honey processing methods retain different percentages of mucilage, but what does this actually mean?

Coffee farmers classify their coffee - some retain less mucilage layer for faster drying, while others retain more mucilage requiring longer drying times. Yellow honey (retaining about 25% mucilage) requires minimal shade (clouds, shade trees) during drying for faster completion, resulting in yellow appearance. Red honey (retaining about 50% mucilage) takes longer and requires some shade during drying. Black honey (retaining about 100% mucilage) is usually covered during drying to extend the drying time.

Yellow, red, and black honey processed coffee (from left to right)

Which is better: Yellow, Red, or Black Honey?

Black honey might be superior. Honey processed flavors are influenced more deeply and delicately by residual sugars in the mucilage layer - the more mucilage retained, the more intense the flavor. (This is the original author's opinion. Coffee Seedling believes each processing method has its unique flavor characteristics, varying by individual preference.)

However, coffee producers must face another commercial consideration. Although black honey processing can produce better quality, higher-priced coffee, risks and costs also increase significantly, potentially affecting farmers' willingness to use black honey processing. The longer coffee drying time, the more likely bacterial growth during fermentation causes defective moldy beans. More frequent turning is required, and it occupies more drying space - up to twice that of yellow honey processing. It's not just about producing high-quality coffee; it's about helping coffee farmers produce the most profitable coffee.

Costa Rican Coffee

So what does honey processing mean to you?

Roasters: Key is maintaining consistency in mouthfeel and flavor

Roasters often face the challenge of adjusting blend formulations or maintaining specific blend flavors as consistently as possible. This means not only understanding honey processing but also other processing methods to help with blend creation. You can more accurately substitute beans, create new blends, and narrow flavor choices when replacing beans.

However, many variables still affect and change based on region, processing method, growing altitude, and other conditions. The final coffee shouldn't be blindly purchased just because it's honey processed. It might have wonderful sweetness, acidity, and fruity aftertaste, but it's not always the same.

Baristas: Coffee knowledge is valuable

Baristas make good coffee for everyone daily, and understanding how coffee is grown, processed, harvested, and roasted from the beginning greatly helps baristas create better-flavored coffee. By integrating this knowledge, you can create delicious flavors you've never tasted before. Every cup of coffee is unique - a coffee shop's blend with rich chocolate and caramel notes might come from single origins with high sweetness and low acidity, like natural Ethiopian coffee, before blending.

Know yourself and your coffee. Approach learning with a curious mind, not just for yourself but for consumers. If you can explain to consumers why natural Ethiopian coffee is much sweeter than the washed Indonesian Sumatran coffee they drank last week, they'll be willing to return to your coffee shop. People are curious - when they believe their barista understands what they want, they'll come back.

Full-bodied beans, ideal acidity, unique and intense aroma.

Costa Rica's Tarrazú region is one of the world's major coffee-producing areas, producing coffee with light, pure flavors and pleasant aroma. Costa Rica's volcanic soil is very fertile with good drainage, making it the first Central American country to grow coffee and bananas for commercial purposes. Coffee and bananas are the country's main export commodities. Coffee was introduced to Costa Rica from Cuba in 1729, and today its coffee industry is one of the best-organized in the world, with yields reaching up to 1,700 kg per hectare. Costa Rica has only 3.5 million people but more than 400 million coffee trees, with coffee exports accounting for 25% of the country's total export value. Costa Rica also benefits from the Central American Agricultural Research Institute (IAAC) in Turrialba, Tarrazú, an important international research center.

Premium Costa Rican coffee is called "Strictly Hard Beans" (SHB), which can grow at altitudes above 1,500 meters. Altitude has always been a challenge for coffee growers. Higher altitude produces better coffee beans not only because increased elevation enhances coffee acidity and flavor, but also because lower nighttime temperatures at higher altitudes slow tree growth, concentrating flavor compounds. Additionally, altitude variations create adequate rainfall beneficial for coffee tree growth. However, while growing coffee at higher altitudes has many advantages, the additional transportation costs must be considered, which could make coffee production unprofitable. Costa Rica's coffee industry has adopted new technologies to increase efficiency, including using "electronic eyes" for bean selection and identifying irregular-sized beans.

Tarrazú is located south of the capital San José and is one of the country's most valued coffee-growing regions. "La Minita Tarrazú" coffee is a local specialty with limited annual production of about 72,600 kg, grown on land called "La Minita" owned by the British McAlpine family for three generations. In fact, this land can produce over 450 tons of coffee annually. However, La Minita Tarrazú coffee is grown without artificial fertilizers or pesticides, and its harvesting and selection are done entirely by hand to avoid damage that air-jet sorting might cause to coffee beans.

Other notable coffees include: Juan Vinas (PR), H.Tournon, Windmill (SHB), Monte bello, and Santa Rosa. Premium coffee generally grows in Geredia and the Central Valley. Another remarkable coffee is Sarchí coffee (Sarchí is one of five towns representing Costa Rica's "Coffee Route"), grown on the slopes of Poás Volcano, 53 km from San José. The Sarchí company was founded in 1949 with 30,770 hectares of land growing sugarcane and coffee. This region is also famous for handicrafts, attracting tourists worldwide.

The country's coffee industry was originally controlled by the Costa Rican Coffee Industry Institute (ICAFE) and is now managed by the Coffee Official Office (Oficina del Café). Among exported coffee, products deemed unqualified are colored with blue plant dye and returned for domestic sale. Coffee consumed domestically (blue-dyed or undyed) accounts for about 10% of total production, with local per capita coffee consumption twice that of Italy or the United States.

About Costa Rican Coffee Beans (Central America)

Costa Rica's Tarrazú region is one of the world's largest coffee-producing areas, located in Costa Rica's central valley south of the capital San José, with rich highland volcanic soil. Tarrazú is one of Costa Rica's four premium coffee-growing regions, with the other three important regions being Tres Ríos, Heredia, and Alajuela.

Coffee from Tarrazú has light, pure flavors with bright acidity and citrus or berry-like aromas, earning high praise in international coffee markets. In Tarrazú, there's an extremely rare gourmet coffee - La Minita Tarrazú - with limited annual production of about 72,600 kg (160,000 pounds), grown on land called La Minita owned by the British McAlpine family for three generations. Its high reputation comes from La Minita Tarrazú being grown without artificial fertilizers or pesticides, with harvesting and selection done individually by hand (this avoids damage that air-jet sorting might cause to coffee beans).

Other quality Costa Rican coffees include Juan Vinas (PR); H.Tournon; Windmill (SHB); Monte bellow; Santa Rosa; FJO Sarchí. Note: Premium Costa Rican coffee beans are called "Strictly Hard Beans" with classification standards:

Strictly Hard Beans (SHB): Above 1,200 meters (3,900 feet)
Good Hard Beans (GHB): 1,200-1,000 meters (3,900-3,300 feet)
Medium Hard Beans (MHB): 1,000-500 meters (3,300-1,600 feet)

Sweet floral aroma

Costa Rica Honey Process

If you like light, tea-like coffee with sweet flavors reminiscent of honeydew melon and subtle floral notes, plus lemon and nut flavors, Central American Costa Rican honey processed beans might suit your taste. Honey processing means using a depulper to remove the outer skin of coffee cherries, then placing the mucilage-covered parchment beans on racks for sun drying. This water-saving processing method makes coffee taste sweeter and more fragrant.

Located in Costa Rica's fertile volcanic soil Central Valley, Zamora Estate in San Isidro de Heredia was the 2012 Costa Rica C.O.E coffee competition champion farm. The farm is owned by the Rodríguez Carballo family, who have been producing coffee since 1880. This coffee has complex flavors with floral notes and ripe, juicy fruit flavors, with very clean mouthfeel.

Costa Rica Finca Tres Milagros

In specialty coffee circles, whenever estate owner Camilo is mentioned, most agree that his extraordinary passion for coffee cultivation and innovative experimental spirit have made him a collaborator for many top baristas worldwide over the years. In 2013, the Facusse family, long operating food sales in Costa Rica through Dinant Corporation, decided to partner with Camilo based on his successful Colombian estate experience to launch a new estate project in Costa Rica named "Tres Milagros" (Three Miracles). The name comes from Camilo's belief that all successful estates require three essential cooperating elements: coffee trees, farmers, and land.

When deciding on the Costa Rica estate project, location was the most crucial determining factor. After extensive discussion and land evaluation, they finally chose Costa Rica's highest altitude region, Tarrazú. The estate sits at 1,450-1,750 meters elevation with volcanic ash soil from Irazú Volcano, providing abundant nutrients for coffee trees. Camilo also required maintaining low-density coffee tree planting to help nutrient absorption and growth, enhancing cupping flavors. Currently, Tres Milagros Estate has about 120 hectares planted with annual premium micro-batch production of only about 300 bags. The estate's hardware facilities follow four key principles:

Green House System: Provides better humidity, temperature, and ventilation for green beans during sun drying.
Intercrop System: Plants different crops to provide estate biodiversity while helping farmers control estate ecology.
Shade Grown System: Mostly uses Inga trees with some other local species, ensuring coffee trees grow under proper shade protection.
Correct Variety Selection: Camilo decided at planting to use traditional low-yield varieties with better flavors. Besides Bourbon and Geisha, F1 is a new variety developed in Costa Rica in recent years by French research organization CIRAD. F1 is a hybrid of Villa Sarchi+Sachimor and Sudan Rume, combining traditional Central American Villa Sarchi flavors with African Sudan Rume citrus characteristics.

Finca Tres Milagros Bourbon Honey

Country: Costa Rica
Region: Dota, Tarrazú
Altitude: 1,450-1,750 meters
Processing: Honey Process
Grade: SHB
Variety: Bourbon
Flavor Notes: Stone fruit, syrup, brown sugar, honey

Finca Tres Milagros F1 Natural

Country: Costa Rica
Region: Dota, Tarrazú
Altitude: 1,450-1,750 meters
Processing: Natural Process
Grade: SHB
Variety: F1
Flavor Notes: Peach, fruit juice, cranberry juice, very clean

Finca Tres Milagros F1 Honey

Country: Costa Rica
Region: Dota, Tarrazú
Altitude: 1,450-1,750 meters
Processing: Honey Process
Grade: SHB
Variety: F1
Flavor Notes: Syrup, apricot, grape, apple juice, smoky aftertaste

Finca Tres Milagros Geisha Natural

Country: Costa Rica
Region: Dota, Tarrazú
Altitude: 1,450-1,750 meters
Processing: Natural Process
Grade: SHB
Variety: Geisha
Flavor Notes: Citrus peel, orange, clean, excellent sweetness

Finca Tres Milagros Bourbon Washed

Country: Costa Rica
Region: Dota, Tarrazú
Altitude: 1,450-1,750 meters
Processing: Washed Process
Grade: SHB
Variety: Bourbon
Flavor Notes: Elegant floral notes, stone fruit, chocolate, hazelnut, citrus, herbal aromas

La Minita is considered a world-class estate. In the minds of some coffee professionals and baristas, it's top-tier. Last year's WBC champion, Denmark's Klaus Thomsen, used La Minita for his espresso base blend and creative beverage flavor structures. This year in Tokyo, competitors naturally continued to use it.

Starting this year, the McAlpine family uses "La Minita" as the common quality control mark for all their green beans. All exported beans from the group carry a seal stamp across burlap bags. Below are the newly arrived La Minita and its seal:

The McAlpine family began managing La Minita in 1967. You could say that when discussing specialty coffee estates, "La Minita" is always mentioned! In recent years, during SCAA and SCAA cupping courses, instructors almost always mention La Minita when discussing mouthfeel or specialty beans. La Minita has not only been popular in Europe for over 50 years but also enjoys high reputation in the American market!

La Minita has been famous for 7 major characteristics:

Superior geographical conditions and microclimate: Tarrazú is Costa Rica's most famous region, but La Minita has two major rivers - the Tarrazú and Alumbre rivers converging in the western mountain area, fully regulating temperature. The estate's western aspect provides favorable conditions with mornings not too cold and evenings not cooling too quickly... Rainfall distribution is excellent, with moderate rainfall from flowering to fruiting periods. Quality clay layers provide sufficient nutrients. Average altitude of 4,000-6,000 feet creates hard beans with high sweetness!

The image below shows the estate's rivers and spectacular waterfalls:

Careful variety selection: The estate grows Caturra, Catuai red, Catuai yellow, and Hibrido (hybrid) varieties. After cupping quality and statistical selection, they now primarily grow Caturra and small amounts of old Hibrido.
Strict quality control (1): Crop rotation and tree replacement system. All coffee trees follow a five-year rotation - after 4 years of harvest, the 5th year requires cutting back to 50cm stumps for rejuvenation before harvesting again! The farm has 1.5 million trees, with about 350,000 needing rotational cutting annually! Besides rotation, tree replacement is required. Each coffee tree is harvested for only 15 years before replacement with new stock to ensure quality. 150,000 trees are replaced annually, and shade trees are planted around coffee trees for shade cultivation.
Strict wet mill procedures: Very rigorous processing with initial sun drying followed by machine drying.

Below is an aerial view of the wet mill and some of its equipment:

Green bean rejection rate exceeds 70%: Only less than 29% of green beans can be sold with La Minita estate labeling.
Final selection stage: Requires 30,000 man-hours for meticulous selection. Only qualified beans receive La Minita labeling.

The manual selection in the image below represents the final stage:

Dedication: For example, great care is taken during the three major stages of Harvesting, Pruning, and Processing. During harvest, La Minita's coffee trees undergo about 5 rounds of selective harvesting because only the ripest cherries are picked. Selective harvesting means increased labor costs and requires great patience. Pruning refers to the rotation system ensuring soil doesn't become depleted and maintaining peak bean quality without chemical fertilizers. Processing refers to post-harvest coffee handling. In 2001, La Minita established its own wet mill to maintain consistently upheld quality standards.

The image shows the estate manager explaining coffee trees and pruning processes, with La Minita beans being bagged on the other side:

This year, La Minita's spicy sweetness and berry flavors remain outstanding! The clean, complex flavors generally maintain their distinctive character. Especially this year, more Tokyo WBC competitors used it in their blends, each showcasing its charming diverse flavors through creative approaches. This is La Minita!

Below is the 2007 La Minita cupping report: (Osso M0 roast level, roasted on Japanese Fuji 1kg roaster, discharged at 11 minutes)

Country: Costa Rica
Region: Tarrazú
Estate: La Minita
Harvest: February 2007
Varieties: Caturra, old Hibrido
Processing: Washed fermentation, initial sun drying then low-temperature drying
Grade: SHB
Appearance/Defects: Green, 0d/350g
Dry Aroma: Subtle perfume-like notes, mountain tea aroma, candy sweetness, berry acidity with apple notes, grape, clean and elegant aroma
Wet Aroma: Multiple berry notes, caramel, cream, floral notes, subtle spice notes
Slurping: Berry-lime acidity, caramel, excellent body, subtle apple aroma in nose, cantaloupe, tea notes, citrus sweetness, clean finish with unique spicy sweetness, mouthfeel not astringent with good salivation

Price

Bulk discount pricing available

Costa Rica Tarrazu Diamond Mountain - Costa Rica Tarrazu SHB Montanas del Diamante Estate

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Linking Coffee, specializing in importing and selling green coffee beans from various countries, added a new Costa Rica Tarrazu region Diamond Mountain Estate to their April price list. Marked as high-altitude Strictly Hard Beans grown at 1,800 meters, packaged in burlap bags with multiple Grain Pro inner bags, suggesting certain quality standards. The price is reasonable, so I started with a 5kg small batch for roasting.

Meanwhile, Costa Rica Diamond Mountain information found online: