Honey Process Coffee—Costa Rica|La Guaca Treasure Estate Recommended Coffee Beans for Pour-Over

FrontStreet Coffee Recommends Honey Process Coffee Beans Suitable for Pour-Over: Costa Rica Black Honey & Nicaragua Black Honey

Costa Rica La Guaca Treasure Estate Black Honey

Region: Brunca

Grade: SHB

Producer: Regulo Gerardo Urena Chacon

Processing Method: Black Honey Process

Variety: Catuai

Altitude: 1600 meters

Flavor Notes: Sherry, dried berry, purple grapes, sweet cherries, cantaloupe, molasses, vanilla, peaches, with a rich sweet-and-sour sensation

This is the Treasure Estate that placed 33rd in the 2017 Cup of Excellence (COE), a family-owned and operated farm working through the Rivas People Processing Plant.

Understanding Honey Processing

Honey processing sits somewhere between the natural and washed methods. It preserves the cleanliness of a washed coffee, yet because the beans are dried with the fruit mucilage still attached, it also lifts sweetness and caramel character noticeably; the mucilage itself is extremely high in sugar. The technique first took hold in Costa Rica, in Central America. Initially it was a practical response to circumstance: some high-altitude parts of Central America had little water to spare, so after the cherries passed through a pulping machine they were simply dried with the mucilage left on.

Black honey beans are shade-dried for the longest stretch with the least exposure to direct sun, and the drying period runs at least two weeks. Of all honey styles, black honey is the most demanding to manage, since the extended drying time means more frequent checking to keep the beans from molding or over-fermenting. It carries the highest labor cost and, for that reason, commands the highest price.

Costa Rica Coffee Excellence

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to grow coffee, and it has built a long history and a complete chain from production through to sale. Sitting on the Central American isthmus, the country is studded with volcanoes and enjoys natural advantages in sunlight and land. Its climate is shaped by Pacific and Atlantic currents and sea breezes, and the coffee it produces carries the stamp of local microclimate and terroir. In both quality and volume, Costa Rican coffee has long been recognized around the world and ranked among the finest.

Many of the country's towering volcanoes reach altitudes of 2000 meters, letting the coffee berries ripen slowly in fertile volcanic-ash soil and a cool highland climate. That combination is what gives FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rican beans their full, layered flavor.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Because honey processing leans so heavily on sweetness, a naturally processed coffee makes a fitting companion when you want to brew those same qualities at home. FrontStreet's Ethiopia Huakui is a good example: its heirloom varieties are dried in the natural process, and the cup delivers creamy strawberry, mango, jackfruit, citrus and blueberry against a ripe tropical-fruit character, with a brightness of fruit and depth of aroma that make it a favorite for pour-over. It is also the lot that took first place in the TOH green-bean competition, so the berry-led sweetness is far from subtle.

If you would rather pair that honey sweetness with a crisper, more structured acidity, FrontStreet's Kenya Small Tomato is worth a look. It is a washed Kenyan single-origin from the Thika region, grown at 1550-1750 meters from the classic SL28 and SL34 varieties, and given a 72-hour double-washed fermentation that sharpens the fruit while keeping the cup clean. Roasted light to protect the lively acidity, it shows sun-dried tomato, dark plum and floral notes on the nose, then a bright, juicy palate with a rounded sweetness and a clean, lingering finish of brown sugar and green tea.