How to Roast Tarrazu SHB Coffee Beans_Costa Rica Tarrazu Coffee Price Report

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Costa Rica Tarrazu coffee beans are classified as the highest grade S.H.B. in Costa Rican coffee grading. They have rich coffee oils, balanced aroma, mild chocolate fragrance, and sweet taste when entering the mouth. They have always been widely popular globally and are considered one of the world's finest coffees.

Whether enjoyed as a single origin or prepared with milk for specialty drinks, the flavor is perfectly suitable.

Acidity

Body

Food Pairing: Light sandwiches, strawberry cake, handmade cookies, nuts, chocolate

The coffee beans produced in Costa Rica's high-altitude regions are world-renowned for their richness, mild taste, and pronounced acidity. The coffee beans here undergo meticulous processing, which is precisely why they achieve such high quality. Costa Rica is located south of Tarrazú, the national capital San José, and is one of the country's most valued coffee-growing regions.

Costa Rica's Tarrazu is one of the world's major coffee-producing regions, producing coffee with light and pure flavor and pleasant aroma. Costa Rica's volcanic soil is extremely fertile and well-drained, making it the first country in Central America to grow coffee and bananas for commercial purposes. Coffee and bananas are the country's main export commodities. In 1729, coffee was introduced to Costa Rica from Cuba. Today, its coffee industry is one of the most well-organized industries in the world, with yields reaching up to 1,700 kilograms per hectare. Costa Rica has a population of only 3.5 million but boasts more than 400 million coffee trees, with coffee exports accounting for 25% of the country's total export value. Costa Rica also benefits from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) established in Tarrazú, which serves as an important international research center.

Premium Costa Rican coffee is known as "Strictly Hard Bean" (S.H.B.), a type of coffee that can grow at altitudes above 1,500 meters. Altitude has always been a challenge for coffee growers. Higher altitude means better coffee beans not only because it increases acidity and thus flavor, but also because lower nighttime temperatures at higher elevations slow tree growth, resulting in more concentrated coffee bean flavors. Additionally, the altitude variation creates sufficient rainfall, which is highly beneficial for coffee tree growth.

S.H.B. indicates strictly hard beans grown at altitudes above 1,500 meters, signifying high-quality Costa Rican coffee. These strictly hard coffee beans, suitable for medium and dark roasts, possess strong acidity and captivating aroma. Costa Rican SHG coffee typically features full-bodied beans, clear flavor, bright acidity, and ideal viscosity, with powerful flavors that create a long-lasting aftertaste in the throat, making it unforgettable.

Other noteworthy coffees include: Juan Viñas (PR), H. Tournon, Windmill (SHB), Montebello, and Santa Rosa. Premium coffee generally grows in Heredia and the Central Valley. Another remarkable coffee is Sarchi coffee (Sarchi is one of five towns representing Costa Rica's "Coffee Route"), grown on the slopes of Poás Volcano, 53 kilometers from San José. The Sarchi company was founded in 1949, with land area of 30,770 hectares, cultivating sugarcane and coffee. This region is also famous for handicrafts, attracting tourists from around the world.

The best Costa Rican coffee appears to come from small processing mills scattered throughout the main coffee-growing regions, including Tarrazu and the Western Valley. This so-called coffee revolution, which began 15 years ago, has dramatically changed how roasting experts and importers perceive Costa Rican coffee. Centered around processing mills, these facilities collect coffee beans from surrounding small farms for processing. These farms are typically small communities or family-owned operations that grow coffee on their own small plots of land, with all coffee being processed and dried by a single small processing mill.

Costa Rica Tarrazu Coffee Roasting Analysis

Tarrazu coffee grows at relatively high altitudes, while coffee grown at lower altitudes is typically considered soft bean coffee. Higher altitudes and lower temperatures cause the fruit to mature more slowly, forming harder, less porous coffee beans. Observing the center line of green coffee beans, the more open the center line, the lower the bean's density. If the coffee bean's center line is closed, its density will be higher.

FrontStreet Coffee recommends recording data before roasting: coffee bean moisture content, density, origin, processing method, ambient temperature and humidity in the roasting room, and planning your roasting curve. Record relevant chemical and physical changes during the roasting process, as this will help you better understand the final roasting results and improve your roasting curve.

This Catura variety, honey-processed coffee has high density, uniform bean size, and full body (thick from bean core to surface). Roasting method: Extend the roasting time, so adjust the heat once dehydration is complete, open the air damper to maximum when first crack begins, and drop the beans after 2 minutes of development.

Roasting Curve:

Preheat roaster to 200°C, set air damper to 3. After 1 minute, adjust heat to 160°C, air damper unchanged. Roast until 5'35", temperature reaches 152°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, dehydration complete. Adjust heat to 130°C, air damper to 4.

At 8'40 minutes, bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black spots, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma, can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'00", first crack begins, adjust heat down to 70°C, air damper fully open (adjust heat very carefully, not so low as to stop cracking sound). Drop beans at 196.0°C.

Cupping Report:

Dry Aroma: Floral, cream, citrus, lemon, sugarcane sweetness

Wet Aroma: Toffee sweetness, white grape, wild berries

Slurping: Plum, sweet orange, peach, grapefruit, juicy sensation, natural sweetness, delicate mouthfeel, overall perfect and balanced

Costa Rica Tarrazu Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

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

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

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473