Caribbean Coffee | Puerto Rico | San Pedro Estate AA Washed Bourbon, Typica

Caribbean Coffee | Puerto Rico | What Are the Flavors of San Pedro Estate AA Washed Bourbon and Typica?

The whole history of Caribbean coffee is bound up with Spanish colonization and migration. In the 18th century, coffee was not especially important in the region, where the main work was growing sugarcane in the fertile valleys. In the early 19th century (the 1800s), European upheaval drove residents of Corsica, a French Mediterranean island, to migrate to Puerto Rico. Because the valley lands were already occupied by Spanish settlers, the newcomers chose to settle in the mountainous southwest of the island, mostly around the town of Yauco. Through hard work and determination, they turned coffee cultivation into a highly rewarding venture. By the 1860s they dominated the island's coffee industry, and Puerto Rico's coffee bean production ranked sixth in the world at the time. The coffee trees these Corsican immigrants planted in the highlands bore fruit that was considered premium, and the origin of Yauco Selecto coffee beans can largely be traced back to this period. In 1898, however, two powerful hurricanes devastated Puerto Rico. They destroyed the local coffee industry, and farmers had to wait two years for crops to return to normal. Meanwhile, the United States took an interest in Puerto Rico's sugarcane production, and European countries no longer treated Puerto Rican coffee beans as colonial produce, imposing tariffs that dealt Puerto Rican coffee a severe blow.

The Caribbean is a passionate, romantic, mysterious stretch of sea, ringed by excellent coffees: Jamaican Blue Mountain, the Dominican Republic, Cuban Crystal Mountain, and Puerto Rican Yauco are all globally renowned, rare, and expensive. These island beans carry a light milky aroma and an elegant floral fragrance, with delicate, soft acidity. Although the humid island climate makes moisture loss in the beans hard to avoid, their overall quality ranks among the top tier. The main reason Puerto Rican coffee is hard to find on the market is its low production: most of it is exported to Europe, and adverse weather such as hurricanes further damages the crop. When that happens, there may be no coffee available to buy for an entire year.

San Pedro Estate lies on the west coast and began producing coffee beans in the 19th century. At first, its coffee was handed over to west coast estates to be sold as Yauco Selecto. Today it is sold entirely under its own farm name—San Pedro coffee—with an annual production of about 1,000 bags. This marks the first time a Puerto Rican coffee has been introduced here.

The Puerto Rican coffee is labeled HACIENDA SAN PEDRO on the bean bags.

Property Characteristics

Farm: San Pedro Estate

Farmer: Rebecca and Roberto Attienza

Grade: AA

City: Coabey — the highest valley town on the island of Puerto Rico

Region: Jayuya — on the west coast of Puerto Rico (the Yauco region lies on the east coast)

Country: Puerto Rico

Altitude: 2,500–3,000 feet

Certification: None

Coffee Characteristics

Varietal: Bourbon, Typica

Processing System: Wet-processed

Total Pounds: 350,000 pounds

Appearance: 18+ screen

Top Jury Descriptions: Cupping roast level begins 60 seconds after first crack (Cinnamon)

Aroma/Flavor: Grain aroma, drupe fruit, high-mountain oolong tea fragrance, nuts, almond, caramel, hawthorn, sugarcane sweetness, ginseng

Acidity: Smooth, gentle, clean, silky, oily mouthfeel, pomelo, mild low acidity, distinct layers

Complexity and Other: Very sweet, long aftertaste, medium complexity, island-coffee character

Flavor: This new crop of Puerto Rican coffee is an island coffee with mild, smooth, well-balanced character. The dry aroma has a charming single-malt sweetness, and it is exceptionally sweet when cupped. The creamy, oily texture at medium roast suits Puerto Rican island coffee very well.

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 grounds. First pour 25g water, let it bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g, then pause. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: A three-stage pour clearly separates the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing during pouring helps extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the gentle, balanced character of this Puerto Rican island coffee appeals to you, the Caribbean classic to explore next is FrontStreet Blue Mountain No. 1, drawn from the historic Clifton Mount Estate, which began growing and processing coffee around the mid-18th century, roughly 1750. The estate's growing plots and processing facilities sit at an average of 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters), where ample altitude, afternoon cloud that drifts across the hillsides, generous sunlight, and mineral-rich soil give the trees ideal growing conditions and lengthen the ripening of the cherries. FrontStreet roasts it medium-dark to bring out the traditional full-bodied, sweet-after-pleasant-bitterness profile, and ships it freshly roasted within 5 days so the beans arrive at their peak. FrontStreet recommends a Kono dripper, which heightens the full body; use 15g per serving, rest the beans 4–7 days from the roast date (counting the roast date as day one), grind a little coarser than you would for a light roast—roughly granulated-sugar coarseness—and brew at 87–88°C, since water that is too hot is the usual cause of a scorched, bitter cup. Keep the ratio at 1:15 and pour in three stages: 30g for a 30-second bloom, then up to 120g with a slow, small circular pour, then up to 225g with a slightly quicker flow and circling to avoid clogging the dripper and over-extracting. The result is a very clean, complex, gentle cup with chocolate sweetness and strong body, where sweetness, acidity, and bitterness are perfectly matched and a persistent fruity note lingers at the finish.