What are the flavor and taste characteristics of Costa Rican Tarrazú Dota specialty coffee?

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Flavor and Taste Characteristics of Dota Premium Coffee from Costa Rica's Tarrazu Region

The First Country in Central America to Cultivate Coffee: Government Support Drives Development

In 1729, coffee began to appear in Costa Rica, introduced from Cuba at that time. This made Costa Rica the first country in Central America to cultivate coffee and the first to grow it for commercial value. Subsequently, after Costa Rica gained independence from Spain in 1821, the local government began to strongly support the coffee industry with a series of policies. At that time, it was over a hundred years since coffee was introduced to Costa Rica, but coffee trees had already been planted in approximately 70,000 plants, showing the speed of its development. The government's policies for the coffee industry included:

In 1825, the Costa Rican government implemented a tax exemption policy. In 1832, the local government enacted a law: "Those who cultivate coffee will own their land," meaning that if coffee farmers planted coffee on any vacant unoccupied land, they could directly own that land. This example encouraged many people to plant coffee, promoting coffee development. (This can also indirectly explain why most coffee in Costa Rica now comes from private estates)

As one can imagine, when production increases, quality becomes variable, affecting competitiveness. Therefore, to improve coffee quality and its value, in the early 20th century, the government established a law: all coffee farms or plantations within Costa Rica could only grow Arabica coffee varieties, thereby enhancing competitiveness. This helps explain why Costa Rican coffee quality is so superior today: all coffee from Costa Rica is Arabica, and we cannot find any Robusta varieties.

Subsequently, in 1948, the Costa Rican government established a dedicated coffee department (which is now the Costa Rican Coffee Industry Company ICAFE: Instituto del Café de Costa Rica. Currently taken over by the Official Coffee Office Oficina del Café), mainly assisting estates in improving everything from cultivation, post-processing to sales systems. The handling of exported coffee is also very meticulous in this region. Among exported coffee, beans deemed unqualified are colored with blue plant dye and then redirected for domestic sales. Today, about one-third of Costa Rica's population is engaged in coffee or coffee-related industries, and local per capita coffee consumption is twice that of Italy or the United States. These various policies demonstrate the government's support for the coffee industry, while indirectly making Costa Rican coffee quality excellent and more competitive compared to other countries.

This is a single-origin coffee from Dota in Costa Rica's Tarrazu region. Tarrazu is one of Costa Rica's world-renowned coffee growing regions, located about a two-hour drive south of Costa Rica's capital San Jose. Due to Tarrazu's considerably high altitude, the coffee it produces has rich and pleasant flavors, making it a very important growing region for Costa Rica.

Dota is considered the most premium growing area within the Tarrazu region. In Dota, farmland averages between 1,200-1,700 meters altitude, coupled with very abundant annual rainfall and long sunshine hours (averaging 2,150 hours per year). Therefore, sun-processed coffee beans have excellent quality: hard and full-bodied beans, with smooth acidity and rich flavors when consumed.

Today, Costa Rica's coffee industry is one of the most well-organized industries in the world, with yields reaching up to 1,700 kilograms per hectare. The country has a population of 3.5 million but can have as many as 400 million coffee trees, with coffee exports accounting for 25% of total export value. Costa Rica's coffee production regions, with various grades and types of coffee, account for one-third of global consumption. This shows that the coffee it produces is of high quality, giving it a place in the global coffee market; and being loved by people, the development history of its coffee industry cannot be ignored.

Dota is an independent small growing region within Tarrazu, located on Costa Rica's Pacific side geographical watershed, resulting in clearly defined dry and wet seasons. Rainfall reaches 2,000 millimeters, average annual temperature is 19°C, with sufficient sunshine and average annual relative humidity of 84%. These conditions are truly suitable for cultivating quality coffee. Combined with average cultivation altitudes of 1,200M-1,800M, all classified as high-altitude strictly hard beans, the coffee produced typically has bright acidity and excellent body, with charming aromas. This selection is a Dota Tarrazu honey-processed coffee with camellia fragrance, offering caramel sweetness and syrupy high sweetness when sipped, with a relatively viscous body characteristic of classic honey processing.

Coffee Information

Origin: Costa Rica Dota Tarrazu
Altitude: 1,200M-1,800M
Grade: SHB EP
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, others
Processing Method: Honey Processing

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Parameters:

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

French Press: Recommended grind 4, water temperature 90°C

Siphon: Recommended grind 4, water temperature 90°C-91°C

AeroPress: Recommended grind 3.5, water temperature 90°C

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