Flavor Characteristics of Costa Rica Mirasu Estate Geisha Coffee Beans and the Origin Story of Geisha Coffee

Costa Rican Coffee: The Sweet Essence of Central America

Costa Rican coffee is widely regarded as one of the finest coffees in Central and South America. The coffee-growing regions of Costa Rica boast high altitudes, pleasant temperatures, and fertile soil, resulting in the production of high-quality Costa Rican coffee beans. Thanks to this reputation, Costa Rican coffee beans have even appeared in Starbucks' Reserve Coffee collection.

Arabica coffee plants are quite delicate, requiring specific climate conditions to thrive, including high altitudes and moderate temperatures. In this enchanting Latin American nation, the mountainous regions and warm temperatures within the growing areas provide the perfect environment for cultivating the highest quality Arabica coffee beans.

Costa Rica experiences distinct dry and rainy seasons, with temperatures ranging between 17°C and 28°C throughout the year, with an annual temperature variation of only about 10°C. Over 80% of coffee-growing areas are situated between 800 and 1,600 meters above sea level, with average rainfall between 2,000-3,000 millimeters.

Heavy rainfall and high altitudes create ideal growing conditions and stunning mountain landscapes in Costa Rica. Over 70% of coffee grows in these lush forests, where altitude variations are significant. All these factors influence the aroma, body, flavor, and acidity of Costa Rican coffee from different regions. Volcanic ash enriches the soil, providing oxygen to the beans and giving them more complex flavors. This diversity and beautiful natural climate make Costa Rica a perfect place for living, tourism, and coffee cultivation.

The Eight Coffee-Growing Regions

Costa Rica has eight different coffee-growing regions, each producing coffee with its own unique flavor characteristics. Within Costa Rica, different regions feature diverse climates, various microclimates, and high air humidity, providing tremendous benefits for growing different coffee varieties.

The seven Costa Rican coffee regions include Brunca, Orosi, Tarrazú, Tres Ríos, Turrialba, Valle Occidental, and Valle Central.

Among these, the Tarrazú region stands out as one of Costa Rica's most famous coffee-growing areas, known for its bright acidity and rich aroma. Brunca offers moderate body, while Valle Occidental is renowned for subtle peach and apricot notes in its beans. The diversity of climate and humidity gives each region distinct flavor profiles, allowing you to enjoy Costa Rican coffee in eight different ways, each with its own character.

FrontStreet Coffee's Tarrazú Recommendation

Known for being "sweet as honey," Costa Rican coffee has captured the hearts of many. FrontStreet Coffee would like to recommend a Costa Rican Tarrazú coffee bean for everyone to experience this "sweet sensation." FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu features a coffee from the Mirazu estate.

Tarrazú Region Characteristics

The Tarrazú region is one of the highest-altitude coffee-growing areas in Costa Rica. The growing soil in Tarrazú is acidic, and most coffee plants in the region have different plants providing shade. Tarrazú coffee beans have a beautiful appearance with a blue-green color. Due to the high growing altitude, coffee tree diseases are greatly inhibited, allowing coffee trees to devote more energy to fruit development. Nearly 95% of coffee beans produced here are classified as Strictly Hard Bean (SHB grade). Tarrazú coffee flavors tend toward citrus acidity, preserved fruit sweetness, and chocolate notes.

FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rican Strawberry Candy

Region: Costa Rica Tarrazú
Estate: Mirazu Estate
Altitude: 1,700 meters
Varieties: Geisha, ET47, SL28, Maico
Processing: Raisin Honey Processing

Mirazu Estate's owner, Esteban Sanches, was originally a staff member at La Candelilla estate, where he developed extensive expertise in coffee machinery and post-harvest processing methods. Later, due to his unique perspectives on coffee, he left La Candelilla to establish his own coffee estate, naming it Mirazu. In the local language, Mirazu means "overlooking Tarrazú." Esteban Sanches believes that coffee quality begins with the coffee tree itself.

FrontStreet Coffee's Mirazu coffee beans use raisin honey processing, where ripe coffee cherries are dried to a shriveled state before removing the skin and pulp while preserving all the mucilage layer, followed by drying. FrontStreet Coffee has found that coffee processed with raisin honey method has richer, more viscous body than regular honey-processed coffee, with more persistent aroma and more intense sweetness.

When FrontStreet Coffee's baristas received these green coffee beans, they considered the need to highlight the intense fruity and floral aromas of this raisin honey-processed coffee, as well as its strong sweetness. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters used a medium roast level for these coffee beans. After receiving the roasted beans, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas, considering the lighter roast level, decided to brew it using higher water temperature (93°C) and finer grind size (80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve).

Regular readers of FrontStreet Coffee's articles know that FrontStreet Coffee has two signature pour-over filters: Hario V60 and Kono. When brewing with higher water temperatures, to avoid over-extraction from prolonged contact between hot water and coffee grounds, the faster-flowing Hario V60 filter is used. Additionally, to create richer flavor layers, a three-stage pouring method is employed during brewing.

Filter: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 93°C
Coffee Dose: 15 grams
Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: 80% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve

First, pour 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then slowly pour in a small circular motion to reach 125 grams for the second stage. When the water level in the filter drops to just above the coffee bed, gently pour in a circular motion again to reach 225 grams for the third stage. Remove the filter once all water has dripped into the server below. Total extraction time is approximately 2 minutes.

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