Coffee culture

What is the Flavor Profile of Costa Rican Tarrazú Coffee? | How Much Does a Bag of Costa Rican Tarrazú Coffee Beans Cost?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). From Costa Rica's Tarrazú region, Central and South American beans always carry unique nutty flavors. This taste reminiscent of almonds or cocoa seems to have become a recognizable signature of the entire Central and South American coffee-growing region. Different countries present distinct variations within this fundamental flavor profile.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

From "Tarrazu" in "Costa Rica," coffee beans from Central and South America always carry unique nutty flavors. This taste reminiscent of almonds or cocoa seems to have become a distinctive characteristic of the entire Central and South American coffee region. Different countries present varying proportions and qualities of this fundamental flavor... "Costa Rica Tarrazu coffee" not only carries this foundation but also possesses many subtle and diverse flavor layers...

Costa Rica is located on the low-latitude volcanic belt of Central America, with the Central Plateau and mountainous areas ranging from 800 to 2,000 meters in elevation.

The climate here features distinct wet and dry seasons. The harvest period runs from November to March of the following year, coinciding with the dry season, which allows for the collection of high-quality coffee cherries with consistent maturity. The dry season also provides ideal sun-drying conditions for natural processing methods, while the rainy season ensures sufficient precipitation. Fertile and well-draining volcanic ash soil provides abundant nutrients for coffee growth, and combined with the advantages of high altitude, these conditions create the foundation for cultivating high-quality Costa Rican coffee.

Costa Rican law only permits the cultivation of Arabica varieties, with Robusta being considered "prohibited" within its borders. This demonstrates Costa Rica's emphasis on coffee quality.

The varieties primarily cultivated in Costa Rica include Caturra, Catuai, and others. The country has also developed several local variations, with the most famous being the Bourbon variety Villa Sarchi. This particular variety grows exceptionally well in high-altitude areas, possesses strong wind resistance, can thrive in poor soil conditions, and performs even better when grown under shade trees. Its most notable characteristics are excellent sweetness and pleasant acidity. Costa Rica's coffee expertise is remarkable, with practices in breeding, cultivation, and post-harvest processing (especially honey processing) serving as models for other coffee-producing countries.

Costa Rica boasts many excellent coffee-producing regions, and these premium regions share a common understanding of quality: the requirement to use only fully ripe coffee cherries to ensure the production of high-quality coffee.

Generally, the post-harvest processing of coffee cherries requires large amounts of water. However, Costa Rica's advanced production equipment minimizes water resource usage while employing circular filtration systems to treat wastewater from coffee bean cleaning. This process purifies the wastewater into clean water, preventing contamination of local soil environments.

After coffee cherries undergo pulping, the fruit skins and pulp are recycled as animal feed, converted into organic fertilizers, or used as fuel for coffee bean dryers. It can be said that in every step of coffee production, Costa Rica adheres to requirements for environmental protection.

Among Costa Rica's many excellent producing regions, one stands out as particularly renowned—Tarrazu, also known as Tarrazú. Costa Rica Tarrazu coffee is highly prestigious in the specialty coffee world and represents one of the world's major coffee-producing regions. In the 2014 Cup of Excellence competition, 17 out of 23 awarded coffees came from the Tarrazú region. Located in the fertile volcanic region of Central America, Tarrazú benefits from a humid climate and fertile volcanic rock soil, abundant year-round rainfall, high altitude, and dense natural forest shade, providing exceptionally advantageous growing conditions for coffee. No pesticides or artificial fertilizers are used during cultivation. Nearly 95% of coffee beans produced in the high-altitude areas of Tarrazu are classified as Strictly Hard Bean (SHB), typically grown at elevations above 1,500 meters.

Currently, the Tarrazú cooperative has 26 member farms. Among them, La Minita is one of the most prestigious coffee estates in Tarrazu. La Minita produces approximately 1 million pounds of coffee beans annually. All coffee beans produced on the estate undergo careful selection to remove defects, with only 15% qualifying to bear the La Minita estate seal, while the remainder enters the general coffee market. However, even these market-bound beans command higher prices than other Central American coffees. La Minita's strict management of every aspect of coffee production has established its world-class reputation, making it a globally renowned coffee estate.

Costa Rica possesses a rich coffee culture, exceptional coffee expertise, and produces world-class high-quality coffee. Whether considering its innate environmental advantages or the various efforts made to produce premium coffee, Costa Rica qualifies as an outstanding coffee-producing nation. Although Costa Rica ranks third from the bottom in land area among Central American countries, its economic environment surpasses that of half the nations in the region. Costa Ricans say that coffee changed this country, enabling people to enjoy a prosperous environment. Coffee has indeed made outstanding contributions to this nation, and it is the diligent coffee people who have created coffee of exceptional quality.

Costa Rica Tarrazu Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Costa Rica Tarrazu coffee beans - Sumava Estate Black Honey Process - offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value for money. A half-pound (227 grams) package costs only 95 yuan. Calculating at 15 grams per cup of single-origin coffee, one package can make 15 cups, with each cup costing only about 6 yuan. Compared to cafés selling similar coffees for dozens of yuan per cup, this represents extremely high value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online services at https://shop104210103.taobao.com

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