Costa Rica Tarrazú | Red Honey Process Tobosi Estate VS Washed Canet Estate

Costa Rica Tarrazu Region | Differences between Shumawa Estate, Tobosi Estate, and Canet Estate Mozart?

Coffee cultivation in Costa Rica began in 1779 with introduction from Cuba, with the first coffee exports occurring in 1820. Currently, there are approximately 32,000 coffee farmers, with each farmer cultivating less than one hectare (10,000㎡) on average. Costa Rica has a population of 4.1 million (2006), with coffee cultivation covering 82,500 hectares and annual production of 1.7 million bags (60kg each). Domestic annual consumption reaches 380,000 bags, with average per capita consumption of 5.5kg per year—higher than Japan's 4kg and significantly higher than Taiwan's current average of just over 1kg. According to ICO statistics, Costa Rica produces approximately 1.6 million bags of Arabica coffee annually. Although production volume may not match Central American countries like Guatemala and Honduras, Costa Rican coffee excels in quality and price.

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to cultivate coffee, boasting a long history and a comprehensive coffee production and sales system. Located in the Central American isthmus with numerous volcanoes, the country benefits from natural advantages of sunshine and fertile land. The climate is moderated by Pacific and Atlantic ocean currents and sea breezes, resulting in coffee with distinctive local microclimate and terroir characteristics. Both in quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has consistently received global recognition and is ranked among the world's high-quality coffees. Many of the country's volcanoes reach altitudes of 2000 meters, allowing coffee cherries to mature slowly in fertile volcanic ash soil and high-altitude cool environments, developing coffee beans with complete and rich flavors.

Coffee cultivation in Costa Rica began two hundred years ago, with the earliest plantings located on the slopes of Poas and Barva volcanoes—what is now known as the Central Valley region. After years of development, Costa Rica now has eight main producing regions: Guanacastes, West Valley, Central Valley, Turrialba, Orosi, Tres Rios, Tarrazu, and Brunca. Among these, Tarrazu, Central Valley, and West Valley are the three most renowned regions with the highest quality.

Costa Rica has two distinct seasons: the dry season from December to April, which coincides with coffee harvest time, and the rainy season from May to November. In recent years, numerous micro-mills have been established, requiring only 5% of the water consumption of traditional wet processing mills and eliminating the need for large water tanks and drying patios, thus requiring significantly less investment. The "honey processed coffee," characterized by low acidity, increased complexity, and rich sweet aromas, has become a competitive target in the coffee industry in recent years; among these, the outstanding examples have shone in major competitions, greatly enhancing the international reputation of various estates.

Famous Honey Processing Methods

Honey processing, known as Honey Process or Miel Process, produces what is called Honey Coffee. Coffee estates in Costa Rica, Panama, and Guatemala have all adopted this processing method. So-called honey processing refers to the process of producing green beans by sun-drying while retaining the mucilage.

Estate owner Mena adopted a unique sweet juice honey processing method, which he calls: sweet sugar process! He uses the juice generated during coffee cherry processing to soak the parchment beans during processing. Because the cherry juice contains high sweetness and unique enzymes, the processed parchment beans contain richer flavors and more complex positive characteristics!

Yellow Honey, Red Honey, Black Honey Processing - What are the Differences?

Coffee farmers will classify their coffee, with some retaining less mucilage for faster drying, while others retain more mucilage requiring longer drying times.

Tobosi Estate (Finca Tobosi) classifies honey processing techniques differently from other estates. Their honey processing classification is as follows:

White Honey (retains 50% mucilage)

Yellow Honey (retains 60% mucilage)

Red Honey (retains 80% mucilage)

Black Honey (retains 100% mucilage)

Honey processed coffees generally have excellent balance between sweetness and fruit acidity. The flavor is typically not as intense as naturally processed coffee but is cleaner and more aromatic. The key to this flavor difference comes from the sugars and acids in the mucilage layer. During drying, the sugars in the mucilage become increasingly concentrated, and these sugars penetrate into the coffee beans.

The harvest season typically runs from January to April each year. Due to the estate's temperature of only 10-20°C, ripe coffee cherries can often still be found waiting to be picked in April! Simply put: the more mucilage retained in processing, the richer and sweeter the final coffee flavor will be. Below are several honey processing flavor comparisons:

The mucilage part contains the highest fructose content of the coffee fruit and is an important component of fermentation during coffee processing. It can be said that this part determines 80% of the nutritional supply during processing. Yellow honey retains 60% mucilage, red honey retains 75% mucilage, and black honey removes almost no mucilage.

Tobosi Estate

Tobosi was established in 2010 at an altitude of approximately 1450 meters, focusing on providing high-quality specialty coffee with the goal of becoming a leader in specialty coffee supply. They strive to ensure all products are produced under transparent systems with complete traceability to ensure customers receive the best products. All quality services and manufacturing processes follow environmental protection principles.

To achieve this goal, Tobosi has planned two estates: Tobosi and Copey. Tobosi was originally an estate cultivating ornamental plants, now planted with 20 hectares of coffee trees. Copey is a high-altitude forest of approximately 12 hectares, primarily growing Geisha coffee. Tobosi strives for perfection in coffee cultivation, selecting areas that best express coffee characteristics based on altitude differences, environmental testing, and soil analysis to ensure ideal growth and sufficient nutrition for the coffee beans. Mario, with 19 years of experience, handles quality control for Tobosi—he was previously a dedicated roaster and cupper for COE. The estate uses manual harvesting throughout, allowing for complete understanding of coffee cherry maturity and traceable management, while customers can further understand quality, harvest times, and all related processes.

Grupo Los Grande de Copey S.A. (Hacienda Copey), established in 2011, has three main estates under its group: Hacienda Copey, Tobosi Estate (Finca Tobosi), and Finca Don Antonio Estate. Tobosi Estate (Finca Tobosi) is located a 2-hour drive south of San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica, owned by the Jorge Bernes family since 2010.

Jorge Bernes comes from a coffee family that began cultivating coffee in his grandfather's generation, and they were among the first leaders in coffee cultivation in the Tarrazu region. He clearly inherited the coffee cultivation genes from his grandfather's generation. Tobosi Estate (Finca Tobosi) has an average altitude between 1500 to 1600 meters, with varieties including Red & Yellow Catuai, Villasarchi, and Geisha, covering 23 hectares. Another estate, Hacienda Copey, located in Dota de Copey, is larger at 90 hectares with higher altitudes between 1900 to 2000 meters. The planting varieties are similar to Tobosi Estate, but with different producing regions and special microclimate differences. Notably, Finca Don Antonio, another estate under Grupo Los Grande de Copey S.A. (Hacienda Copey) established in 2011, bravely won first place in the 2017 Costa Rica COE competition. Among many competitors, achieving such results is no accident, indicating a strong foundation.

Green Bean Analysis

High-quality Costa Rican coffee beans are called "Strictly Hard Beans," with classification standards as follows:

Strictly Hard Beans (SHB): Above 1200 meters (3900 feet) altitude

Good Hard Beans (GHB): 1200-1000 meters (3900-3300 feet) altitude

Medium Hard Beans (MHB): 1000-500 meters (3300-1600 feet) altitude

The green coffee beans are relatively small with 2% defective beans, with some honey on the surface. Emerald green represents high-altitude, slow-growing fresh coffee.

Country: Costa Rica

Region: Tarrazu

Estate: Finca Tobosi

Variety: Catuai

Altitude: 1600 meters

Grade: SHB

Processing Method: Red Honey Processing

Roasting Analysis

Hard bean coffee grows at relatively high altitudes, while coffee grown at lower altitudes is typically considered soft bean coffee. Higher altitudes and lower temperatures cause fruit to mature more slowly, forming harder, less porous coffee beans. Observing the center line of green coffee beans, the more open the center line, the less dense the coffee bean. If the coffee bean's center line is closed, its density will be higher.

FrontStreet Coffee suggests recording data before roasting: coffee bean moisture content, density, origin, processing method, roasting room temperature and humidity, etc., and planning your roasting curve. Record relevant chemical and physical changes during the roasting process—this will help you better understand the final roasting results and improve your roasting curve.

This is Catura variety, honey processed, with high density and uniform bean size, full bean body (thicker from center to surface). Roasting method: Extend the roasting time longer, so adjust heat once when dehydration is complete, open the damper to maximum at first crack, and develop for 2 minutes before dropping.

Roasting Curve:

Preheat to 200°C, open damper to 3. After 1 minute, reduce heat to 160°C, damper unchanged. Roast to 5'35" at 152°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, dehydration complete. Adjust heat to 130°C, damper to 4;

At 8'40", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on bean surface, toast smell clearly changes to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'00" first crack begins, reduce heat to 70°C, damper fully open (adjust heat very carefully, not too low to stop crack sounds). Drop at 196.0°C.

Cupping Report:

Dry Aroma: Floral, creamy, citrus, lemon, sugarcane sweetness

Wet Aroma: Toffee sweetness, white grape, wild berries

Slurping: Plum, sweet orange, peach, grapefruit, juicy sensation, natural sweetness, delicate mouthfeel, overall perfect and balanced.

Brewing Analysis

The popular European and American stirring bloom method is suitable for light roast coffee beans.

European/American stirring method: Stir with a stirrer in a cross pattern during the bloom stage. This is a branch of the three-stage method, a pour-over technique developed after 2012 World Brewer's Cup champion Matt Perger. This method can effectively enhance the release of aromatic substances from coffee beans, amplify the flavor advantages of coffee beans, and enhance the coffee's body without making it too thin.

Costa Rica Canet Estate Yellow Catuai

Region Introduction

Canet Estate is located in the highest altitude area of Tarrazu coffee cultivation in Costa Rica. Canet is the name of a small farm in this area. Finca Canet is a small 5-hectare estate located in the town of San Marcos, Tarrazu region, owned by the Robles brothers Leo, Elian and Melvin, who have worked together cultivating and producing for over 10 years and also share a small wet processing mill (Beneficio).

For over three generations, the Montero family has been producing coffee in the enchanting mountains of Tarrazu, Costa Rica. Today, Carlos and his entire family are involved in the Canet farm, which is the name of a small farm called Don Eli. Carlos and his whole family are deeply involved in the Don Eli coffee farm and micro-mill. With family support, Carlos manages the cultivation and milling. He works at different small farms and also selects dates and separations in the process.

Locals select ripe cherries. This area is the most intensive fruit cultivation region in Costa Rica, with the estate owner primarily cultivating passion fruit, while coffee quantity is quite scarce. Only one specific area grows coffee, receiving special care, with only mature red cherry fruits being picked. Unique varieties in the estate: Yellow Catuai.

Yellow Catuai comes from a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra, first cultivated in 1949 by Brazil's "Instituto Agronomico de Campinas." Like Red Catuai, Yellow Catuai has extremely high disease resistance, suitable for cultivation at high altitudes and windy areas. Both Catuai varieties also have very delicate, clean acidity.

Through machine adjustments, honey processed coffee is produced (depending on the degree of honey processing). Canet is located in the highest altitude area of Tarrazu coffee cultivation in Costa Rica. However, coffee beans in this region mostly use red honey, black honey, and yellow honey processing methods. This area is the most intensive fruit cultivation region in Costa Rica, with the estate owner primarily cultivating passion fruit, while coffee quantity is quite scarce. Only one specific area grows coffee, receiving special care, with only mature red cherry fruits being picked.

They launched the Musician Series products, consisting of three different beans using different green bean processing techniques to highlight different unique characteristics.

Costa Rica Canet Estate - Mozart

Region: Tarrazu

Variety: Catuai

Estate: Canet

Process: Raisin processing method

Altitude: 1800-1900 meters

Grade: SHB

The processing flow is "double fermentation honey processing"—first drying the coffee cherries to a raisin-like state (fruits for raisins must be mature, with shade drying being best. The seedless grapes from Turpan, Xinjiang, China are most famous for raisins. Turpan's climate is hot and dry, with brick drying houses having many wall holes on four sides and wooden rack supports in the middle. Mature seedless grapes are hung on these racks, and with hot air blowing, high-quality raisins can be obtained quickly), then removing the fruit pulp for honey processing fermentation. This results in more intense fermentation flavors and higher mucilage retention than other honey processing methods, claimed to be 100% mucilage honey processing with truly raisin-like flavors.

This is quite a sweet processing method, with white wine-like mouthfeel and balanced acidity. The fermentation flavors are more intense, and mucilage retention is higher than other honey processing methods, somewhat like "noble rot" sweet wine, with honey, dried apricot, raisin, peach and other flavors.

Costa Rica Canet Estate - Beethoven

Country: Costa Rica

Region: Tarrazu

Variety: Catuai

Estate: Canet

Process: Washed processing

Altitude: 1800-1900 meters

Grade: SHB

Beethoven belongs to the lively and beautiful personality type, with rich floral and fruit acidic aromas. Its wind chime-like clear, bright and long acidity is particularly classic. Floral and fruit aromas rise, filling the entire mouth with honey sweetness, caramel aroma, jasmine fragrance, fresh cherry, blackberry and lime. This is an excellent coffee with flavor notes: sweet and colorful various fruits, strawberry, apple, lemon, grape, citrus flavors displayed in diverse ways, with unforgettable honey and toffee flavors. Silky cream-like delicate body, like top-grade Indian Darjeeling tea's long aftertaste.

Roasting Analysis

Taking Beethoven as an example

Yang Jia 800N, green beans 550g, specific operation:

Preheat to 200°C, open damper to 3.5. After 1 minute of bloom, reduce heat to 160°C, damper unchanged. At furnace temperature 165°C, adjust heat once to reduce to 140°C. Roast to 5'30" at 155.1°C, bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, dehydration complete, damper unchanged;

At 9 minutes, ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on bean surface, toast smell clearly changes to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 8'04" first crack begins, reduce heat to 80°C, damper fully open to 5 (adjust heat very carefully, not too low to stop crack sounds). Reduce to 40°C, drop at 194.5°C when temperature drops to 194°C.

Brewing Analysis

Pour Over

First, we need to understand the characteristics of "Mozart" bean. Mozart's cupping flavors are: sweet and colorful various fruits (strawberry, apple, grape, citrus flavors displayed in multiple layers), unforgettable honey and toffee flavors, silky cream-like delicate body (like Darjeeling tea's long aftertaste). Therefore, our main extraction targets are the front and mid-stage sweet and sour flavors and fermentation notes, as well as the smooth aftertaste.

Costa Rican SHB beans have relatively high altitudes and harder bean texture, with excellent sweet and sour qualities (relatively extraction-resistant), so even with medium roast, we can use 90-91°C water for extraction without worrying too much about over-extraction leading to bitterness and astringency.

Dripper: Hario V60

Water temperature: 90°C

Grind size: Fuji Mini R3.5 (64% passing through China #20 sieve)

Brewing method: 1:15 ratio, 15g coffee, first pour 25g water for 25s bloom, second pour to 120g then pause, wait until water level drops to half then continue pouring, slowly pour until 225g total, extraction time around 2:00

Analysis: Using three-stage brewing to clearly define the front, middle, and back-end flavors. Because V60 has many ribs and faster drainage, pausing can extend extraction time.

Siphon Brewing Method

Using the post-grounds addition method—first boil water until it rises to the upper chamber, then add grounds and stir.

Step 1: Boil until fish-eye bubbles appear, insert upper chamber tightly. When hot water rises to upper chamber, immediately test water temperature at 91°C. Adjust heat until water column is stable with no bubbles in upper chamber, then add grounds. Cross-stir gently, pressing grounds to ensure complete wetting.

Step 2: Bloom for 38 seconds, observe bubble state in grounds layer, perform first circular stir, three rotations.

Step 3: Boil to 52 seconds, turn off heat, wait for siphon phenomenon as coffee flows back to lower chamber.

Conclusion:

In roasting, Beethoven's drop temperature is lower than Tobosi Estate's, preserving more fruit acidity and floral aromas, with sweetness leaning towards fresh feeling. Tobosi Estate's drop temperature is higher to express its caramel sweetness, roasted to 2 minutes development after first crack, with sweeter, richer, and heavier flavor expression;

The source of sweetness comes from mucilage. Honey processed beans have sufficient time during drying for sugars to penetrate into the fruit flesh, while washed beans, through bacterial fermentation, wash away the sugars in mucilage, resulting in flavors that lean more toward acidic expression. From cupping, it's found that Beethoven's acidity is somewhat stronger than Tobosi Estate's; although from the same region, different processing methods require corresponding roasting adjustments to achieve the purpose of expressing bean characteristics.

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