Costa Rica Brumas Processing Plant | Dona Cremancy Estate Geisha Honey Process COE #2

Costa Rica Brumas Processing Plant | Dona Clemencia Estate Geisha Honey Process COE #28 Batch Flavor

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The Brumas Processing Plant (Beneficio Brumas del Zurqui) was founded in 1880 by the Rodríguez Carballo family and is now managed by Juan Ramón Alvarado Rodríguez. Dona Clemencia Estate (Finca Dona Clemencia) is a new estate he purchased three years ago and renamed in honor of his mother. The estate grows only one hectare of the Geisha variety, which had its first harvest in 2017 in limited quantity. It entered the Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) competition and placed 28th. This batch is the 28th-place international auction lot.

In 2002, when Juan Ramón Alvarado Rodríguez first established the processing plant in the Central Valley, there were only three small processing plants in the area, including his own. Costa Rica has a long history of coffee cultivation, but over the past decade or so the more innovative "dry" approach has become popular, collectively known as the new "honey processing" method. It uses the pulping machine's ability to adjust how much pulp is removed, producing a "honey" sensation that ranges from light to strong (from white, through yellow-red-white, to yellow-red-black as the color deepens). Every level brings its own acidity, complex aroma, and rich body, with depth and distinct character. Honey processing began in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has also developed the micro-mill model, whose main goal is to give every small farm its own bean-processing system. That keeps the whole chain, from harvest to processing, on the farm, so a producer can turn out the best distinctive green beans according to its own methods. Brumas Estate (Finca Brumas del Zurqui) has its own family-style green bean processing plant. "Brumas" originally means "valley filled with clouds and mist." Besides growing coffee, the estate also helps neighboring estates and small coffee farmers with processing. Coffee has been grown here since 1880.

In 2006, Brumas won the Costa Rica National Coffee Competition championship, and the estate's honey processing method immediately drew attention from coffee merchants in many countries. As a result, since 2007 Brumas coffee beans have consistently sold out before the competition. This international auction micro-lot is a Geisha honey-processed coffee from Dona Clemencia Estate, processed at the Brumas del Zurqui plant under the Brumas family. Brumas Estate is a micro wet-processing plant (Brumas del Zurqui) established in 2002 by the Juan Ramon Alvarado and Natalia Gomez family. The family has been engaged in coffee cultivation and production for more than a century, Juan Ramon Alvarado especially.

He is a leader in honey-processed coffee technology, and his processing plant took third place at the 2016 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence. In 2015, family member Natalia Gomez's estate El Beneficio entered the COE competition using the honey-processing expertise of the Brumas plant and placed second, showing that the reputation of the family estate and its processing technology is no accident. Juan Ramon Alvarado currently owns several estates, among them Zamora and La Nena. Varieties grown include Bourbon, Caturra, and Geisha.

Coffee Information

Region: Central Valley

Estate: Dona Clemencia Estate (Finca Dona Clemencia)

Processing Plant: Brumas Processing Plant (Beneficio Brumas del Zurqui)

Variety: Geisha

Altitude: 1,450 to 1,600 meters

Grade: European Standard Strictly Hard Bean (SHB)

Processing Method: Honey Process

Harvest Period: November - March

Certification: N/A

Flavor Description: Floral notes, sweet orange, lychee, bright and layered acidity, clean and transparent mouthfeel, excellent layer variation, lingering aftertaste.

Award-Winning Estate Records from the Brumas Processing Plant (Brumas del Zurqui)

2017 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) 19th Place - Finca El Centro

2017 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) 20th Place - Finca El Beneficio

2017 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) 28th Place - Finca Doña Clemencia

2016 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) 2nd Place - Finca El Centro

2016 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) 3rd Place - Finca El Centro

2015 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) 6th Place - Finca El Centro

2015 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) 2nd Place - Finca El Beneficio

2014 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) PK Competition 10th Place

2014 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) PK Competition 18th Place - La Nena

2013 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) PK Competition 7th Place - La Nena

2013 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) PK Competition 12th Place - Zamora

2012 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) PK Competition 1st Place - Zamora

2012 Costa Rica Cup of Excellence Alliance Competition (Excellence for Coffee A) 1st Place (Cupping score 93.47)

2012 Best Coffee Improvement Contribution Award from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica

2006 Costa Rica Non-Coffee Management Promotion Official Unit (SINTERCAFE) Cupping Competition 2nd Place

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee, first pour 25g water for a 25s bloom, second pour to 120g then stop pouring, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before continuing to pour, slowly pour until reaching 225g, extraction time around 2:00

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method clearly defines the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains faster, stopping the pour helps extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A Costa Rica Geisha processed as honey is a great showcase for the variety, and if you want to explore further, FrontStreet Coffee's Esmeralda Red Label - officially "Esmeralda Special" - is grown at 1,600-1,800 meters, with each lot cupping above 90 points and each one drawn from a single small plot so buyers can choose a batch that suits their flavor preferences. Look for its floral lift, sweet orange and lychee notes, bright layered acidity, and a clean, lingering finish.

For a friendlier introduction, the Esmeralda Green Label, originally "Private Collection," blends several plots to express the estate's signature high-altitude Geisha character and comes at a more accessible price. FrontStreet Coffee also offers the Panama Boquete Geisha, an entry-level Geisha that shows the classic Panama profile of orange-blossom aroma and honeyed charm with fine, distinct fruit sweet-acidity.