What Are Natural Process Coffees from Costa Rica? Natural Process Estate Fire Phoenix Specialty Coffee

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Although Costa Rica's natural processed coffee may not be as renowned as its honey processed counterparts, the quality of Costa Rica's natural processed coffee is equally exceptional. As a country that primarily uses honey processing, FrontStreet Coffee's Fire Phoenix Estate natural processed Sapphire is a premium coffee from this country, featuring rich raisin flavors, prominent wine notes, full-bodied texture, balanced sweet and sour profile with smoothness, making it a natural processed specialty bean highly appreciated by FrontStreet Coffee.

Costa Rica: Land of Premium Coffee

Located in the Central American isthmus, Costa Rica is simultaneously influenced by the Pacific and Atlantic ocean currents and sea breezes that regulate its climate. With many towering volcanoes reaching 2,000 meters in elevation, coffee cherries can slowly grow in fertile volcanic ash soil and high-altitude cool environments, nurturing coffee beans with complete and rich flavors. The earliest coffee cultivation in Costa Rica took place on the slopes of Poás and Barva volcanoes, an area known today as the Central Valley.

Central Valley & Fire Phoenix Growing Region

The Central Valley region is also the earliest area where coffee was cultivated in Costa Rica, before the country's coffee industry expanded to other regions. With moderate rainfall of 118 inches annually and an average temperature of only 19°C, combined with high altitude, the coffee beans produced here are hard, aromatic, smooth, with high acidity, full body, and intense fragrance.

The Fire Phoenix Estate is located on the fertile Poás volcanic hills in Costa Rica's Central Valley. It is a completely 100% village-grown coffee estate that places great emphasis on environmental protection practices (such as collecting rainwater to process coffee), and uses organic compost from earthworm farming to ensure the cultivation process is completely free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The estate owner believes that organic farming methods are better choices for environmental protection and family health, maintaining this philosophy despite facing many technical and organizational challenges.

Fire Phoenix Estate is also one of the earliest estates in Central and South America to begin producing honey processed and natural processed coffees. The high-quality coffees it produces are very distinctive, with the most notable feature being an astonishing sweetness! Coffee cherry sweetness can reach 21-22%, and during the harvest season, using processing methods often employed in the wine industry, only cherries exceeding 20% sweetness are selected for natural processing.

Varieties & Processing Methods

The Sapphire coffee variety introduced today consists of Caturra and Catuai. Caturra is a single-gene mutation of Bourbon, while Catuai is a hybrid coffee variety artificially crossbred from Caturra and Mundo Novo.

Natural Processing Method: The natural processing of Sapphire (Zahiro) is quite labor-intensive. Hand-picked high-sugar cherries are first placed on African raised beds for sun-drying for about 10 days, then moved to plastic-covered greenhouses to create more direct heat energy for continuous drying until moisture content reaches 11.5%.

FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Fire Phoenix Estate Sapphire

• Region: Central Valley
• Estate: Fire Phoenix Estate
• Altitude: 1600m
• Varieties: Caturra, Catuai
• Grade: SHB
• Processing: Natural

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Recommendations

Roaster: Yangjia 800N

This Costa Rica Fire Phoenix Sapphire possesses rich berry and tropical fruit aromas. To preserve these abundant fruit flavors and sweetness, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster uses a medium heat roasting approach for this bean. When the drum temperature reaches 170°C, load the beans, set the damper to 3, heat to 110, return to temperature at 1'36", 97.9°C; when the drum temperature reaches 140°C, open the damper to 4; at this point, the bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering the dehydration stage. When the drum temperature reaches 166°C, adjust heat to 80°C, damper unchanged; at 8'17", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. Listen carefully for the sound of first crack, which begins at 9'00", adjust damper to 5 (adjust heat very carefully, not too small to maintain crack sounds), develop for 2'05" after first crack, unload at 195°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Report

Based on FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations:

• Dripper: Hario V60
• Water Temperature: 90°C
• Dose: 15g
• Ratio: 1:15
• Grind Size: BG#6k

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Technique

Segmented Extraction:

Use 30g of water for 30-second bloom, pour with small water flow in circular motion to 125g, then segment. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. Wait for water level to drop and is about to expose the coffee bed, then remove the dripper (timing starts from bloom). Extraction time: 2'00".

Flavor Description

Dry aroma reveals distinct tropical fruit, fermented notes, and sweet spices. Wet aroma emits berry and honey fragrance. The cup exhibits strawberry, tropical fruits, fermented wine notes, with honey and cocoa in the finish. Overall mouthfeel is smooth with clear flavor layers and a noticeable aftertaste.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473