Characteristics and Story of Costa Rican Washed Tarrazú Coffee Beans - Caturra Variety Pour-Over Parameters

Washed Costa Rica coffee offers bright acidity, juice-like sweetness and sourness, with a rich, thick mouthfeel reminiscent of nuts and dark chocolate, creating an overall balanced profile. FrontStreet Coffee has previously introduced honey-processed Costa Rica coffee, and today we're sharing this washed coffee bean from the Tarrazu region. Tarrazu is an extremely renowned specialty coffee producing region in Costa Rica, essentially considered the best coffee region in the country. Absolute advantages in altitude, abundant rainfall, and other conditions have contributed to Costa Rica's excellent coffee. Just how excellent is it? Read on and you'll find out!

Costa Rica's Ideal Coffee Growing Conditions

Located in the Central American isthmus, Costa Rica is simultaneously regulated by the Pacific and Atlantic ocean currents and sea breezes affecting its climate. Many towering volcanoes reaching 2,000 meters in elevation dot the landscape, allowing coffee cherries to slowly mature in fertile volcanic ash soil and high-altitude cool environments, cultivating coffee beans with complete and rich flavors. Costa Rican coffee has always been considered a perfect example of classic flavors—balance, cleanliness, and mildness form its foundation, renowned for its extremely balanced, clean, and bright profile with berry-like fruit acidity. Among these, the most famous and largest growing region is Tarrazu, which has the highest latitude and the best climate and soil conditions in the country, making Tarrazu the recognized most outstanding coffee production area. Besides nearly perfect classic flavors, it also features lively citrus or berry-like notes in acidity, while the aftertaste presents distinctive coffee flower aromas, making it a tranquil coffee full of Latin American countryside charm.

The Golden Bean Legacy

In 1820, Costa Rican coffee was hailed by British nobility as "The Golden Bean"—the economic value of coffee beans to local residents was as valuable as gold, implying potential for appreciation and profit. Laws were subsequently established allowing only the cultivation of Arabica. Drinking coffee has become a daily ritual for Costa Rican residents. "Pura Vida" is a common expression among Costa Ricans, meaning expressing "pure life" or "wonderful!"

In 1502, Christopher Columbus discovered Costa Rica during his fourth voyage and named it Costa Rica, which in Spanish means "Rich Coast." It stands as one of Central America's most excellent coffee-producing countries. Exceptional volcanic geography provides Costa Rica with the most natural organic fertilizers, with fertile volcanic rock soil and cool climate producing the highest quality coffee. Mild chocolate aroma, sweet entrance, balanced cleanliness, and bright口感 have always been widely welcomed globally. S.H.B. stands for Strictly Hard Bean, the highest grade in Costa Rican coffee classification, fully demonstrating Costa Rica's high-altitude characteristics combining fruit acidity and rich nut flavors, with an exceptionally clean and clear taste.

Washed Processing

This is currently a relatively common method for processing green coffee beans, utilizing washing and fermentation to remove fruit pulp and mucilage. The washed process: bean selection → pulp removal → fermentation → washing → drying → hulling → sorting and grading.

Cupping Notes and Characteristics

Cupping: distinctly clean flavors with bright acidity, along with notes of plum, orange, cedar, nuts, and caramel.

FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Tarrazu Washed Example

Region: Tarrazu

Altitude: 1200m

Variety: Caturra

Processing: Washed

Brewing Parameters

FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica pour-over parameters: V60 dripper, 15g coffee, water temperature 90°C, grind BG-6L, water-to-coffee ratio 1:15. 27g water for bloom, bloom time 28s. Segmented pouring: first segment 27g-105g-88g, time 1:50 (timing starts from bloom).

Flavor Description

The entrance presents sweet orange acidity, with distinct nut and chocolate flavors in the mid-section, persistent caramel sweetness in the aftertaste, along with some cedar aroma, creating an overall balanced profile.

Important Notice :

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