Costa Rica Mirazu Estate Geisha Strawberry Candy Pour-over Flavor Profile: Honey Processed Geisha Coffee Bean Story

Costa Rican Coffee: The Golden Treasure of Central America

Costa Rican coffee beans are like gold—not because they are expensive, but because Costa Rican coffee beans are renowned for their honey processing method. The parchment beans processed with honey have a color similar to gold, and honey-processed coffee has a thick texture and intense sweetness, making it the first choice for many sweetness lovers.

Coffee enthusiasts familiar with specialty coffee all know that to meet the requirements of specialty coffee, it must first be of the Arabica coffee variety. Interestingly, Costa Rica is the only country in the world where it's illegal to grow any coffee variety other than Arabica, showing Costa Rica's emphasis on this high-quality coffee bean. In 1989, Costa Rica also passed a law prohibiting the cultivation of low-quality coffee beans, encouraging Costa Rican farmers to pursue truly excellent quality coffee beans.

Arabica beans are a special variety more difficult to grow than other varieties. To cultivate high-quality Arabica coffee beans, there are strict requirements for the altitude, soil, and climate of the planting area.

Costa Rica has distinct rainy and dry seasons, with an average annual temperature between 17°C and 28°C, an annual temperature difference of about 10°C, high air humidity, and annual rainfall between 2000ml and 3000ml. More than 80% of coffee is grown at altitudes between 800 meters and 1700 meters, where the rich volcanic soil provides abundant essential nutrients for coffee plants.

Within Costa Rica, there are seven recognized coffee producing regions in the central, mountainous, and high-altitude areas. Since coffee beans are grown at altitudes between 800 meters and 1700 meters, most Costa Rican coffee beans are of the SHG (Strictly High Grown) grade, which are very hard beans. Next, let's delve deeper into each region to discover the subtle differences of this precious coffee.

Central Valley

Coffee production in the Central Valley accounts for almost 15% of Costa Rica's total coffee production. The altitude in this region ranges from 1000 meters to 1200 meters, with soil based on volcanic earth. The unique microclimate of the Central Valley gives coffee beans rich fruit and chocolate flavors, with a pleasant honey aroma.

Tres Ríos

This region is located on the slopes of the Irazú Volcano, just a few miles from Costa Rica's capital, San José, and is one of Costa Rica's famous coffee producing regions. This coffee region is the smallest among all coffee regions, with coffee grown here at altitudes as high as 1650 meters. Coffee from this region has a bright, honey-like sweetness and rich fruit flavors.

Brunca

Located in the southernmost part of Costa Rica, the Brunca region produces nearly 20% of Costa Rica's coffee. The area also has significant differences in altitude, ranging from 800 meters to 1700 meters. Generally, coffee beans from this region are milder than those from other regions. Coffee beans from Brunca have complex aromas of various citrus fruits.

Turrialba

This region is named after the volcano within the area. The Turrialba region is the rainiest of all eight coffee regions. Most coffee beans in this region grow above 1400 meters. Coffee beans from this region are characterized by their light and smooth texture, subtle aroma, and moderate acidity.

Tarrazú

Costa Rica's Tarrazú region is considered one of the highest altitude growing regions in the country. The coffee beans produced in this region are considered among the best in Costa Rica. Coffee from the Tarrazú region has excellent flavors. Due to the extremely high growing altitude, this area produces SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) grade, very hard beans.

Orosi

The Orosi coffee region is one of the oldest coffee growing areas in Costa Rica, dating back nearly 100 years. The Orosi region receives more rainfall than other coffee regions. Most coffee produced here grows on the slopes of the Orosi mountain range at altitudes between 1000 meters and 1400 meters. Due to the favorable climate in this region, the coffee here has a smooth and balanced taste.

Western Valley

This region is located in the westernmost part of Costa Rica, adjacent to the Tarrazú region. Coffee production in this region accounts for about 25% of the country's total production. The growing altitude in this region is between 1200 meters and 1700 meters, where coffee cherries grow slower than those in the Tarrazú region.

In the 19th century, the Costa Rican government vigorously promoted coffee cultivation. To this day, there are many internationally renowned coffee estates in Costa Rica, including the Mirazu Estate. FrontStreet Coffee's bean list also features a honey-processed coffee bean from the Mirazu Estate.

FrontStreet Coffee: Costa Rica · Mirazu Estate Strawberry Candy Coffee Beans

Region: Costa Rica Tarrazú Region
Estate: Mirazu Estate
Altitude: 1700 meters
Varieties: Geisha, ET47, SL28, Maico
Processing Method: Raisin Honey Processing

Mirazu Estate's owner Esteban Sanches was originally a staff member at La Candelilla Estate, with extensive expertise in coffee machinery and post-processing methods of green coffee beans. Later, due to his unique insights into coffee, he left La Candelilla Estate and built his own coffee estate, naming it Mirazu. In the local language, Mirazu means " overlooking Tarrazú." Mirazu Estate's owner Esteban Sanches believes that the quality of coffee begins with the coffee tree.

This Costa Rican Tarrazú coffee bean is a Geisha blend. This Geisha blend contains 50% Geisha coffee beans, and 50% ET47, SL28, and Maico varieties.

FrontStreet Coffee has mentioned in many articles about Geisha coffee that the Geisha coffee variety originated from the Geisha Forest in Ethiopia. In the 1930s, it was collected and sent to the Coffee Research Institute in Kenya, Africa, for research. However, due to its average flavor, it didn't receive much attention. After several twists and turns, the Geisha coffee variety arrived at the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica in 1953 and was numbered T2722. In the 1960s, it was distributed to Panama for cultivation. Due to the low yield of the Geisha variety, coffee farmers only used it as a windbreak tree. It wasn't until 2004, when Hacienda La Esmeralda sent Geisha coffee to participate in the BOP competition and won the championship, that the fame of the Geisha coffee variety grew exponentially.

FrontStreet Coffee's barista, after receiving this Geisha blend, considering the need to highlight the intense floral and fruit aroma of the Geisha variety, as well as the strong sweetness from honey processing, adopted a medium roast level.

FrontStreet Coffee's barista, after receiving the roasted beans, decided to use a higher water temperature (93°C), a finer grind (80% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve), and a faster-flowing dripper (Hario V60) for brewing to highlight the aroma and sweetness of these coffee beans.

Pour-over Parameters

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 93°C
Coffee Amount: 15 grams
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: 80% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve

Pour 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then slowly pour the second segment of water in small circular motions to 125g, and gently pour the third segment of hot water to 225g. The total extraction time is approximately 2 minutes.

Important Notice :

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