Differences Between Diamond Yellow Honey and Yellow Honey Coffee Beans from Costa Rica Las Lajas Estate Special Processing

Costa Rica's Las Lajas Estate practically wrote the book on honey and natural processing. Here is how its Diamond Yellow Honey differs from the classic yellow honey — and why it matters.

FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Coffee Estate Introduction: Las Lajas Estate

FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Las Lajas Estate relies exclusively on honey and natural processing for its green beans, and it has developed a character distinct from every other Costa Rican estate. Its honey processing falls into three grades based on how the mucilage is handled during drying — yellow honey, red honey, and black honey — while its naturals split into two products defined by fermentation style: Pearl Negra and Alma Negra. FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Pearl Negra, like the earlier Berlin Estate lot, shows intense fruity fermentation flavors, while Alma Negra leans toward dried fruit and molasses. Both represent today's most fashionable natural processing — in two very different styles!

Among the refined natural and honey methods now popular across Costa Rica, Las Lajas was one of the very first estates to study and systematize them. For years it has been a favorite of buyers around the world. The estate is run jointly by third-generation owner Francisca Cubillo and her husband Oscar. It sits in the Central Valley growing region, not far from the capital and quite close to Poas Volcano, at altitudes between 1,250 and 1,500 meters, with an annual production of approximately 55,200 kilograms.

Years ago, Francisca set her sights on pushing the estate's flavor expression even further. At the time, the vast majority of Costa Rican farmers used traditional washed processing to supply the American and European markets. So she began researching and reworking the estate's equipment to serve natural and honey processing. At harvest, she screens the cherries with a BRIX meter to select only fruit that meets her standards, runs the coffee through her own washing station, and finally lays it out on African raised beds to dry.

In the FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica coffees processed at Las Lajas, the owner sorts the honey- and naturally-processed lots into distinct products according to flavor expression. Most Costa Rican farmers control honey processing by adjusting the depulping machine to leave different amounts of mucilage; Las Lajas chose another path entirely: retaining 100% of the mucilage and instead controlling the drying time and turning frequency on the raised beds to produce different flavor expressions. Within honey processing, the coffee is divided into yellow honey, red honey, and black honey.

Yellow Honey Processing:

After the skin is removed, the coffee is spread on African raised beds at dawn to dry and turned immediately.

Red Honey Processing:

After the skin is removed, the coffee is spread on African raised beds at dawn to dry and turned only after noon.

Black Honey Processing:

After the skin is removed, the coffee is spread on African raised beds at dawn to dry and turned only in the afternoon.

Yellow Diamond:

After the skin is removed, the parchment coffee with its mucilage is scattered on the concrete floor to dry for one day, then covered with black plastic sheeting for a day of shaded rest.

As for the natural methods, even finer flavor expressions are created through the use of plastic sheet shading.

Pearl Negra:

Harvested cherries are spread on African raised beds at dawn and turned regularly while drying until they reach 11.5% moisture content. The whole process takes approximately two weeks.

Alma Negra:

Harvested cherries are spread on African raised beds at dawn, turned regularly for one day of drying, then covered with plastic sheeting for a day of shaded rest — repeating until they reach 11.5% moisture content. The whole process takes approximately three weeks.

As for fertilization, the owner insists every step follow organic standards. The entire estate runs on organic home-made compost, with the organic approach extending to soil management, shade trees, and the washing station's procedures. After years of effort, Las Lajas has earned Japan's JAS certification along with America's USDA and NOP organic certifications.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The difference between Diamond Yellow Honey and ordinary yellow honey comes down to drying: Yellow Diamond alternates open sun-drying on concrete with shaded "rest" days under black plastic, a rhythm that slows the process and rounds out the cup. If that slower, gentler style appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Blackberry offers the deepest expression of the honey family — black honey processing with virtually all the mucilage retained and at least two weeks of shaded drying — yielding a lush floral aroma and notes of grape, berry, and ripe blackberry.

And if the naturals intrigue you, FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy Gesha blend shows what raisin honey processing — 100% mucilage retained, cherries pre-dried on raised beds for at least three days — can do: Gesha's signature orange-blossom sweetness layered over grape and dried blueberry, soft fruit acidity, and an almond finish with pronounced, clean sweetness.