Introduction to Costa Rica Guanacaste Coffee Bean Processing Methods: Flavor Differences Between Washed and Natural Processing

Guanacaste Conservation Area: An Important Natural Habitat

The Guanacaste Conservation Area is an important natural habitat that maintains biodiversity, including the best dry-forest habitats, biological communities from Central America to northern Mexico, and major endangered plants and animals. The terrestrial and coastal environments of the area are crucial for ecological processes, including the evolution, continuation, and restoration of Pacific tropical dry forests; highland migration and other interactive biological and ecological activities; and the emergence and development of coral colonies and reefs.

Basic Information about Guanacaste Conservation Area

Common Name: Guanacaste Conservation Area

English Name: Area de Conservacion Guanacaste

Inscription Year: 1999, 2004

Selection Criteria: N (ii) (iv)

Geographic Location: N 10°51' W 85°37'

Heritage Number: 928

Geographical Overview

The Guanacaste Conservation Area is located in northwestern Costa Rica, starting 12 miles off the Pacific coast and extending along the Pacific lowlands, crossing inland over three volcanoes and then descending to the lowlands, spanning approximately 105 kilometers. In 1999 the area was listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. The reserve covers a terrestrial area of 88,000 hectares and a marine area of 43,000 hectares, not counting an additional 3,000 to 5,000 hectares later incorporated into the protected area. Its highest elevation is 1,916 meters.

The Guanacaste Conservation Area includes a series of volcanic regions, the most famous being Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, which has three craters and a lagoon. Its last observed eruption was in the 1970s, but one crater continues to emit steam. In addition, 32 rivers and 16 geysers originate near this volcano. The western terrain of the protected area is carbonate rock, the coastal region consists mainly of sedimentary formations, and saline lakes are common along the coast. The climate is hot, with a long rainy season from May to October, annual precipitation reaching up to 1,528 millimeters, and an average annual temperature of 28 degrees Celsius. April to May is the hottest period in the reserve.

The Guanacaste Mountain Range (Cordillera de Guanacaste) is a mountain range in northwestern Costa Rica and part of the continental divide. It extends northwest to southeast for 113 kilometers (70 miles), with its highest point reaching 2,020 meters (6,627 feet). Arenal Volcano erupted in 1968, with volcanic ash covering the entire area, destroying pastures and causing the death of 100,000 cattle. The range runs roughly along the border of Guanacaste Province and Alajuela Province for about 113 kilometers and is composed primarily of andesite. There are four notable active volcanoes, with Miravalles Volcano at 2,020 meters the highest peak in the range. Most slopes are forested, while intensive agriculture is practiced near Lake Arenal, cultivating coffee and sugarcane.

Physical Geography

The Guanacaste Conservation Area is located in Central America at 10 degrees north latitude and 84 degrees west longitude. It borders the Caribbean Sea to the east and the North Pacific Ocean to the west, with 1,290 kilometers of coastline (212 kilometers on the Caribbean coast and 1,016 kilometers on the Pacific coast). The northern part borders Nicaragua (with a 309-kilometer border), while the southeast borders Panama (with a 639-kilometer border). The total area is 51,100 square kilometers, including 50,660 square kilometers of territory and 440 square kilometers of territorial sea, slightly smaller than West Virginia in the United States and equivalent to Ireland. Costa Rica's terrain consists of coastal plains and rugged central highlands. The country has declared an exclusive economic zone of 200 nautical miles and a territorial sea of 12 nautical miles.

The climate is tropical and subtropical, with some neotropical regions. Costa Rica's climate conditions differ sharply from the four-season pattern: there are only two seasons, a winter from April to December with abundant rainfall, and a dry season from late December to April, also called summer. The average annual temperature in the capital, San Jose, ranges from a minimum of 15 degrees Celsius to a maximum of 26 degrees Celsius. Coastal areas are relatively warmer, with the Caribbean region averaging 21 degrees Celsius at night and 30 degrees Celsius during the day.

Geological Composition

The Guanacaste Conservation Area has well-developed strata from the Precambrian to the Mesozoic Triassic period, lacking Mesozoic Jurassic and Cretaceous as well as Cenozoic Tertiary strata. The distribution of strata is roughly bounded by the Pitiao River, with Paleozoic strata in the southeast and primarily Mesozoic Triassic strata in the northwest. Large areas in the southeast expose Silurian Maoxian Group metamorphic clastic rocks, with a lithology of gray-green sericite phyllite and silver-gray sandy phyllite interlayered with thin quartzite and thin-bedded, lenticular crystalline limestone. Near the Pitiao River, Devonian and Carboniferous-Permian strata are distributed in bands. The former consists of unmetamorphosed gray and dark gray thin-bedded limestone and argillaceous limestone interlayered with carbonaceous slate and sandstone; the latter consists of medium-thick bedded limestone interlayered with phyllite, carbonaceous phyllite, and crystalline limestone interlayered with sandstone and conglomerate. Ordovician gray medium-thick bedded feldspar quartz sandstone, quartz sandstone, and sandy slate are sporadically exposed in the Sanjiangkou area.

Large areas in the northwest are distributed with Triassic strata, with a lithology including feldspar quartz sandstone, slate, carbonaceous phyllite, thin limestone, and fine siltstone. Devonian strata are exposed in the anticline axis, with a lithology of carbonaceous phyllite, sandy phyllite interlayered with quartzite, and clastic limestone. Small amounts of Carboniferous-Permian strata are distributed in the Dengsheng area, primarily carbonaceous phyllite and crystalline limestone interlayered with sandstone. Quaternary loose deposits mainly include fluvial deposits, debris flow deposits, and moraines. Fluvial deposits are mainly distributed in the Pitiao River valley and its tributary valleys. Large amounts of debris flow deposits are distributed at the outlets of debris flow gullies such as Huahongshugou, Longyangou, and Daweijiagou. Ancient glacial deposits are distributed in the ancient glacial valleys upstream of the Pitiao River in the Xiangyangping area and upstream of the Zhenghe River, while modern glacial deposits develop in modern glacial valleys. Large areas in the northeastern part are also distributed with Chengjiang-Jinning period diorite and granodiorite, and Yanshanian granite is exposed in the Siguniang Mountain area in the west.

Main Vegetation

The most important vegetation in the Guanacaste Conservation Area is the dry-forest region covering approximately 60,000 hectares, where different soil environments and slopes host about twenty different biological zones. The main vegetation types include: (a) dominant mixed deciduous forests with some fig trees and mahogany; (b) evergreen trees distributed along rivers and floodplains; (c) grasslands dominated by Hyparrhenia rufa with sparsely distributed shrubs; (d) oak forests and grasslands with Quercus species; and (e) mangrove forests. There are also some beach plants within the reserve.

In the Rincon de la Vieja volcano area there are four different vegetation types: tropical Quercus trees, sapodilla trees, and cedar trees growing in poor, severely eroded soils; various wetland plants; rainforest plants that vary with topography; and dwarf rainforest plants. This forest area is perennially covered by clouds, and because of strong winds and poor soils the trees are generally relatively short. The mangrove forests within the area contain 8 species of mangrove trees and are well preserved.

Main Species

Records show that since 1973 the species of vertebrates, insects, and aquatic animals in the Guanacaste Conservation Area have gradually increased. The protected area hosts various animal species of conservation significance. Well-known mammals include white-tailed deer, white-lipped peccaries, Baird's tapir, white-faced monkeys, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, anteaters, jaguars, ocelots, and jaguarundis. There are more than 500 bird species, the most common including macaws, American quail, crested guan, blue-winged teal, herons, American storks, ibises, and falcons. Small numbers of spectacled caimans and American crocodiles have also been found in the estuaries. During the sea turtle mating season (October to December each year), over 250,000 sea turtles inhabit the reserve's beaches, mostly olive ridley, green, leatherback, and hawksbill turtles. The area also hosts more than 12,000 species of nematode insects, over 20,000 species of beetles, and more than 13,000 species of bees.

Historical Significance and Tourism

Hacienda Santa Rosa was built between 1580 and 1600 and was one of the earliest and largest cattle ranches in the region. In 1856, Santa Rosa was the site of the Battle of Santa Rosa. In 1966, Costa Rica celebrated its independence at Hacienda Santa Rosa. The hacienda initially focused on raising mules, which were used mainly for transporting goods. Later, its pastures were used primarily for cattle, and beef became food for workers from Nicaragua and Guatemala employed in local indigo factories.

Santa Rosa National Park has become the most popular tourist attraction within the Guanacaste Conservation Area, drawing visitors with its historical monuments and the spectacular gathering of thousands of sea turtles on the beaches. In 1997, the number of tourists visiting Santa Rosa National Park reached 64,000, half of them from within Costa Rica.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

FrontStreet Washed Yirgacheffe Gotiti Cooperative. To taste the clean, washed profile that Costa Rica's best coffees and this region are known for, FrontStreet Coffee suggests the washed Yirgacheffe Gotiti Cooperative. Many people know Yirgacheffe, but not that small local farms deliver their cherries to a cooperative for centralized processing and sale. The Gotiti Cooperative is an outstanding processing team from Gotiti village with mature experience, and its coffee became well known for its especially refined, clean flavor.

The washed process lets the cooperative express jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity to the fullest. Roasted light-medium, the coffee also shows green tea and honey notes, and it suits pour-over, cold brew, and espresso alike.

For pour-over, FrontStreet Coffee suggests a V60 dripper with 90-91°C water, 15g of coffee at a 1:15 ratio, and a medium-fine grind of about 80% passing a China No. 20 standard sieve.