Comparison of Costa Rican Coffee Pour-Over vs Syphon Brewing Methods and Costa Rican Coffee Pricing

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

Costa Rica Coffee Bean Pour Over & Siphon Comparative Brewing Demonstration

Today we're sharing a comparative brewing demonstration of Costa Rica coffee beans using pour over and siphon methods.

The star of today's show is the recently popular Costa Rica Sumava Estate Black Honey Process Coffee Beans.

...Alright, let's just call it "Black Honey" for short.

Origin: Costa Rica

Grade: SHB

Roast Level: Medium Roast

Processing Method: Black Honey Process

Variety: Catuai

Estate: Sumava Estate

Flavor Description: Sweet and diverse fruits, honey, toffee

Sumava Estate

Sumava Estate is located in Costa Rica's highest coffee-growing region, which is also the most intensive fruit cultivation area in the country. The estate owner primarily grows passion fruit, with coffee production being quite limited. Coffee is only grown in a special area with special care, harvesting only ripe red coffee cherries. The estate's unique Yellow Catuai honey process offers rich variations in overall flavor, full-bodied mouthfeel, and excellent cleanliness! The sweetness performance is outstanding, with rich, layered variations from berries to citrus fruit acids.

Pour Over Black Honey:

V60 Pour Over Parameters:

Grind Size: BG Grinder: 4E

Water Temperature: 90°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Total Brew Time: 1 minute 50 seconds

Wait for the water level to drop after the first pour.

Specific Pour Over Technique:

Bloom: 30g water for 30 seconds

First Pour: Slowly pour in circles 90g, stop at 120g reading, wait for water level to drop to the surface of the coffee bed

Second Pour: Increase water flow and pour in circles, add 105g water, stop at 225g reading, wait for the coffee bed to be exposed, remove the filter cone

Siphon Black Honey:

Siphon Brewing Parameters:

Dose: 20g

Water Temperature: 91°C

Grind Size: BG Grinder: 5D

Ratio: 1:12

Total Brew Time: 1 minute 10 seconds

Specific Siphon Brewing Technique:

Using the post-addition method, meaning boil water first until it rises to the upper chamber, then add coffee grounds and stir.

Step 1: Boil until fish-eye bubbles appear, insert the upper chamber tightly; when hot water rises to the upper chamber, check water temperature at 91°C. Adjust heat to stabilize the water column without bubbles in the upper chamber, then add coffee grounds. Then stir crosswise, gently pressing the grounds to ensure complete wetting.

Step 2: Bloom for 38 seconds, observe the bubble state of the coffee bed, perform the first circular stir, stirring three times.

Step 3: At 52 seconds, turn off heat, wait for siphon phenomenon, coffee flows back to lower chamber.

The first stir is very important - the grounds need to be evenly moistened but not completely dispersed.

Costa Rica Coffee Bean Pour Over & Siphon Flavor Comparison

V60 Pour Over Black Honey: Rich floral and fruit aromas, fresh fermentation feeling, smooth mouthfeel, obvious layering, acidity remains gentle even as temperature drops, with slight tea sensation in the finish.

Siphon Black Honey: Prominent and rich sweet and sour sensation, but fermentation and acidity are not harsh. Initially not as smooth as pour over, but becomes more gentle as temperature slightly drops, with more obvious sweetness.

Costa Rica Coffee Bean Pour Over VS Siphon Brewing Parameters Explanation

First, we need to understand the characteristics of this "Black Honey" bean.

The cupping flavor of Black Honey shows: sweet and diverse fruits (strawberry, apple, grape, citrus flavors displayed in multiple layers), unforgettable honey and toffee flavors, silky cream-like delicate body (like the long aftertaste of Darjeeling tea).

Therefore, our main extraction targets are the front to middle sweet and sour flavors and fermentation notes, as well as the smooth aftertaste.

Costa Rica's SHB beans are from relatively high altitudes, with harder beans and excellent sweet and sour texture (meaning they can withstand extraction), so even with medium roast, we can use 90-91°C water for extraction without worrying too much about over-extraction causing bitterness and harsh acidity.

Costa Rica Coffee Bean Original Brewing Record Comparison

Grind Size: BG Grinder: 4E VS 5D

Since this bean was roasted on September 17, exactly 10 days ago, it has almost reached its optimal flavor period; degassing reaction is in its final stage; V60 pour over filter cone has relatively fast drainage. In summary, pour over needs medium-fine grind, while siphon grind is slightly coarser than pour over.

Water Temperature: 90°C VS 91°C

Pour over extraction time is long, so 90°C is suitable, allowing extraction of relatively complete and rich flavor compounds without over-extraction.

Siphon extraction time is short, so relatively 91°C water temperature can balance extraction rate.

Ratio: 1:15 VS 1:12

Pour over extraction is a cooling extraction process, with later stage extraction temperature being lower than earlier stages, relatively less prone to over-extraction. Increasing the ratio can enhance layering and richness.

Siphon extraction is an immersion process, with extraction efficiency decreasing in later stages (concentration issue), but can maintain higher water temperature throughout, allowing certain flavor stages to be extracted relatively completely and prominently. The smaller ratio is to highlight the front to middle sweet and sour flavors, avoiding early extraction of later woody flavors.

Final Summary:

This Costa Rica coffee bean is a variety with obvious flavors and unique fermentation characteristics, especially suitable for pour over and siphon brewing, which is why we chose it as the star of today's brewing demonstration (the star is obviously the off-screen barista, right~).

Since this is our first brewing demonstration, we didn't have time to record video, so we can only explain through photos (due to insufficient staff, our poor baristas had to brew separately and take photos of each other...). We'll strive for video explanations in the future. If there are any inadequacies, please point them out. The brewing parameters are for reference and exchange only.

Costa Rica Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Costa Rica coffee beans have full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value for money - one 227g bag costs only 95 yuan. Calculating at 15g per cup, one bag can make 15 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to café prices that often cost dozens of yuan per cup, this is truly a conscientious recommendation.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473