Costa Rica Tarrazu Region - Flavor and Profile of Tarrazu Coffee

Costa Rican Coffee Heritage

Coffee trees reached Costa Rica from Cuba in 1729, and from the beginning only high-quality arabica varieties were cultivated. In 1989 the country went a step further, enacting a law that prohibits growing robusta. This discipline has made Costa Rica one of the Central American nations with the most consistent coffee quality.

The country's seven major producing regions are Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Central Valley, West Valley, Turrialba, and Brunca.

Tarrazu sits in volcanic terrain at elevations up to 2000 meters. Fertile volcanic-ash soils and a cool highland climate combine to produce beans with rich flavor, a bright and lively acidity, and a pure, clean texture.

Coffee emerged as an industry in Costa Rica shortly after 1700, making it the earliest coffee-growing country in Central America. The government's attention to coffee has grown steadily since 1832. It issued a famous decree — "those who cultivate coffee shall own their land" — granting ownership of vacant land to anyone who planted coffee on it. In 1948 the government established a dedicated coffee department to help estates improve cultivation, post-harvest processing, and sales systems. In both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has won consistent global recognition and is judged world-class.

West Valley

Elevation: 1,000-1,200 meters
Harvest Period: November - March
Profile: Its acidity and body cannot match beans from other regions, but it offers good overall balance with subtle almond and peach notes.

Central Valley

Elevation: 1,200-1,600 meters
Harvest Period: November - March
Profile: Costa Rica's oldest coffee-growing area, with rich volcanic soil that sometimes lends chocolate aromas to the cup.

Tarrazu

Elevation: 1,200-1,700 meters
Harvest Period: December - March
Profile: This world-famous region's defining trait is the unparalleled mouthfeel created by its high-altitude growing conditions.

Tres Rios

Elevation: 1,200-1,650 meters
Harvest Period: December - March
Profile: Blessed with favorable climate, this area produces coffees with distinct flavors and excellent balance.

Orosi

Elevation: 900-1,200 meters
Harvest Period: September - February
Profile: Coffee from Orosi is known for a smooth mouthfeel and good balance.

Brunca

Elevation: 800-1,200 meters
Harvest Period: August - January
Profile: Costa Rica's newest producing region, approachable for all kinds of drinkers, with flavors compatible with those of other regions.

Turrialba

Elevation: 600-900 meters
Harvest Period: July - December
Profile: Thanks to abundant rainfall, this region has the earliest harvest season of any Costa Rican growing area.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee suggests these pour-over parameters for Costa Rican Tarrazu: V60 / 90°C / 1:15 ratio / brew time of one minute fifty seconds.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Costa Rican Tarrazu is arabica at its best, and it belongs to the family of beans that make up the vast majority of specialty coffee on the market today: arabica offers the widest range of varieties and the most complex, refined flavors of the three original coffee species. If you enjoy Tarrazu's bright acidity and clean sweetness, a few other arabica lots from the FrontStreet shelf deserve a place on your brewing table.

• FrontStreet Huakui (Guji, Ethiopia): a natural-processed lot of local heirloom varieties, bursting with cream strawberry, mango, jackfruit, citrus, and blueberry — the same rich berry fragrance that won first place in that year's TOH green-bean competition, at a friendly price.
• FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Worka Chelbesa (Gedingding Cooperative): a washed Ethiopian G1 with elegant white florals, citrus, orange, and green tea — the washed counterpart to Huakui's natural style, every bit as clean and luminous as a great Tarrazu.
• FrontStreet Panama Red Label Geisha: from the famous Esmeralda estate in Boquete, Chiriqui, grown on volcanic soil under year-round mist; expect rich florals, citrus, peach, layered fruit acidity, a cream-smooth texture, and an oolong-tea sweetness in the finish.

For a gentler, low-acid everyday option, the FrontStreet Brazil Queen Estate lot — a Yellow Bourbon, a natural mutation of the classic Bourbon variety — offers cream, peanut, toasted bread, and sugarcane aromas with a mellow sweetness, and works equally well as pour-over, moka pot, or espresso.