Introduction to Costa Rica's Beneficio Brumas del Zurqui

Brumas del Zurqui Processing Mill and Dona Clemencia Estate

The Brumas del Zurqui processing mill (Beneficio Brumas del Zurqui) was founded in 1880 by the Rodríguez Carballo family and is now managed by Juan Ramón Alvarado Rodríguez. The Dona Clemencia Estate (Finca Dona Clemencia) is a newer property he bought three years ago and renamed in honor of his mother.

The estate plants only one hectare of the Geisha variety, which had its first harvest in 2017. The quantity is limited, and it entered the Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) competition, finishing 28th.

The Rise of Honey Processing in Costa Rica

In 2002, when Juan Ramón Alvarado Rodríguez first established his processing mill in the Central Valley, there were only three small mills in the region, his own among them. Costa Rica has a long history of coffee cultivation, but over the past decade the innovative "dry" processing method has become a trend. Collectively known as honey processing, it uses pulp scrapers to adjust how much pulp is removed, producing coffee that ranges from light to dark in color (white, yellow-red-white, yellow-red-black) and "honey-like" in character from subtle to intense. Each level offers its own acidity, complex aromas, and rich body, and each has its own merits and depth.

Honey processing originated in Costa Rica, and at the same time the country developed its distinctive micro-mill system. The point of that development is the hope that every small farm can have its own bean processing setup, so that the entire chain from harvesting to processing can be completed by the farm itself. That way, the finest specialty green coffee can be produced according to each farm's own techniques.

Excellence at Brumas del Zurqui

The Brumas del Zurqui Estate has its own family-owned green bean processing mill. "Brumas" originally means "valley filled with clouds and mist." Besides growing coffee, the estate also helps neighboring estates and small farmers with processing. Coffee cultivation here began in 1880, and in 2006 Brumas won the Costa Rica National Coffee Competition championship. Its honey processing method immediately drew attention from coffee merchants around the world. Since 2007, Brumas's coffee has consistently sold out before the competitions even begin.

The Brumas del Zurqui Estate was established in 2002 by the Juan Ramon Alvarado and Natalia Gomez family as a micro water processing mill. The family has been farming and producing coffee for more than a century, and Juan Ramon Alvarado is a leader in honey processing technology. In 2016, their mill took third place at the Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE). In 2015, family member Natalia Gomez's estate, El Beneficio, entered the COE using the honey processing experience from the Brumas del Zurqui mill and won second place. The reputation of both the family estate and the mill's technology is no accident.

Juan Ramon Alvarado currently owns several estates, including Zamora and La Nena, among others. The varieties cultivated include Bourbon, Caturra, and Geisha.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee suggests the following brewing parameters:

Pour-over: V60 dripper, Fuji R440 grinder setting 3.5, water temperature around 90°C

French Press: Recommended grinder setting 4, water temperature 90°C

Siphon: Recommended grinder setting 4, water temperature 90°C~91°C

AeroPress: Recommended grinder setting 3.5, water temperature 90°C

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Costa Rica is where honey processing took shape, and Panama is where Geisha became famous, so it is natural to move between the two. FrontStreet Boquete Washed Geisha is the easiest way to meet the variety. Grown in Panama's Boquete region, where the Baru volcano leaves fertile soil, days are humid and nights are cool, and the coffee is planted at 1,600 meters, it shows the classic jasmine, green tea, honey, citrus, and orange notes. As a farm-level, entry-point Geisha it is also one of the more affordable ways to experience the varietal.

For the top tier, FrontStreet Esmeralda Red Label Geisha comes from a single plot harvested above 1,700 meters, with each lot required to cup above 90 and given its own lot number, so buyers can choose by the finer differences in flavor. The cup has a refined orange-honey character with a long, layered finish. FrontStreet Esmeralda Green Label Geisha, from the same estate, blends several plots to express the estate's signature high-altitude Geisha flavor and is notably better value.

Ethiopia, where the variety actually originated, offers a different reading of Geisha. FrontStreet Genlana Gesha comes from a processing station at the border of Kochere and Gelana Abaya that was founded in 2014, where the growing area spans some 700 hectares, much of it uncultivated and shade-covered. Cherries are hand picked and dried on raised beds for 14-20 days depending on the weather, then roasted medium-light. The cup shows bright citrus acidity, an elegant ginger flower aroma, the full sweetness of ripe fruit, and a fine, silky texture with a refined finish.