Introduction to Coffee Bean Flavors from Costa Rica's Eight Major Coffee Growing Regions and Recommended Pour-Over Characteristics of Mozart Coffee Beans

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Costa Rica: The Sweetest Coffee Region in the Americas

Where is the sweetest coffee region in the Americas? Costa Rica! You should know that FrontStreet Coffee offers a series of Costa Rican Musician coffee beans, most of which are honey-processed coffees, described by customers as "floral and fruity aromas, sweet as honey in taste."

There's much to learn about this honey processing method, and FrontStreet Coffee is here to explain it: Due to water and climate limitations, the honey processing method has become increasingly popular throughout Costa Rica. This "sweet as honey" processing method is actually an improvement on Brazil's semi-dry method to enhance sweetness. The key to this processing method is to keep as much of the mucilage layer as possible on the coffee beans with parchment. This is a precise processing method: the color of the coffee beans depends on the level of mucilage left on the beans before drying. The amount of mucilage is the determining factor for coffee sweetness; traditionally, the more mucilage or "honey" left on, the greater the sweetness and depth. According to the proportion of mucilage, honey-processed coffees are further divided into black honey, gold honey, yellow honey, red honey, white honey, and so on.

As mentioned earlier, the Costa Rican Musician Series. In fact, the "Costa Rican Musician Series" consists of four varieties: "Mozart," "Beethoven," "Bach," and "Chopin." However, since the green beans for "Chopin" cannot be obtained in the short term, we won't discuss it much here. Briefly, this "Chopin" has excellent rose floral aroma, tea-like qualities, and sweetness, making it feel much like drinking floral tea.

FrontStreet Coffee's "Costa Rican Musician Series" comes from the Canet Estate, which is located in the highest altitude area of Costa Rica's Tarrazu coffee cultivation region. Canet is the name of a small farm in this area—a small 5-hectare estate located in the San Marcos town of the Tarrazu region, owned by the Robles brothers Leo, Elian, and Melvin, who have worked together to grow and produce for over 10 years and also share a small wet processing plant (Beneficio).

Through machine adjustments, honey-processed coffee is produced (depending on the degree of honey processing). This area is also the most intensive fruit-growing region in Costa Rica. The estate owner primarily grows passion fruit, with coffee quantities being quite scarce. Only a specific area grows coffee, receiving special care, with only mature red cherry fruits being picked. Therefore, the produced coffee receives more careful attention in harvesting, picking, and processing, thus presenting superior quality and flavor.

Musician Series: Mozart, Beethoven & Bach

Next, FrontStreet Coffee will focus on introducing "Mozart," "Beethoven," and "Bach" and briefly introduce Costa Rica's coffee regions through these three coffee beans.

Costa Rica Canet Estate Mozart

Region: Tarrazu
Variety: Caturra, Catuai
Altitude: 1950m
Processing: Raisin Honey Process
Flavor: Osmanthus, berries, fermented wine aroma, raisins

Costa Rica Canet Musician Series Bach

Country: Costa Rica
Region: Tarrazu
Altitude: 1950m
Processing Method: Raisin Honey Process
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean (SHB)
Variety: Caturra
Flavor: Tropical fruits, nuts, cream, fermented aroma

FrontStreet Coffee's "Mozart" and "Bach" both use the raisin honey processing method, which is slightly different from the honey processing introduced earlier. The raisin honey processing here is actually a double fermentation method. On the day of harvesting coffee cherries, the harvested coffee fruits are poured into large water tanks, the bad beans are removed, and the selected coffee fruits are placed on raised beds to dry for at least three days. Then the cherry skin is removed while preserving the coffee's mucilage, followed by further drying. During the drying process, constant turning is required to ensure even drying, and the turning frequency must be well-controlled to avoid over-fermentation. This method of preserving 100% mucilage with zero water processing not only increases the difficulty of honey processing but also requires strict time control.

Next is Beethoven from the Musician Series, which uses a different processing method:

Costa Rica Canet Estate Musician Series Beethoven

Region: Tarrazu Region
Estate: Canet Estate (Finca Canet)
Variety: Yellow Catuai
Altitude: 1900m
Grade: Strictly Hard Bean (SHB)
Processing Method: Washed
Flavor: Citrus, black tea, caramel

FrontStreet Coffee's "Beethoven" uses a washed processing method. After harvesting, it undergoes a screening process to remove unripe or overripe beans again, then the pulp is removed, and the mucilage on the beans is removed by a centrifugal washing machine to avoid fermentation. Then it is washed with clean water and finally placed on shaded raised beds to dry for 12-14 days, constantly turning to achieve even drying. Beans that have been washed have a cleaner and brighter taste profile.

Tarrazu: Costa Rica's Premier Coffee Region

Although the processing methods are different, have you noticed that all three coffees come from the Tarrazu region? Through FrontStreet Coffee's research, we found that Costa Rica has a total of 8 coffee regions, including West Valley, Central Valley, Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Brunca, Turrialba, and Guanacaste. And Tarrazu is one of the most important coffee-producing regions in the world.

FrontStreet Coffee's Musician Series coffee beans come from this region. Tarrazu can be said to be one of Costa Rica's most valued coffee-growing areas. Coffee from "La Minita Tarrazu" is a local specialty, but production is limited, approximately 72,600 kilograms annually. It is grown on land called "La Minita," owned by the British McAlpine family for the last three generations, with the La Minita estate in the Tarrazu region producing only 160,000 pounds annually. In fact, this land can produce over 450 tons of coffee annually.

It should be noted here that Tarrazu coffee cultivation does not use artificial fertilizers or pesticides. Its harvesting and selection are all done by hand to avoid damage to coffee beans that can be caused by air jet selection methods to some extent. At the same time, the high altitude of over 1,500 meters means that nearly 95% of coffee beans grown in Tarrazu are Strictly Hard Beans (SHB).

Tasting and Comparison

Many consumers who visit FrontStreet Coffee think that since the Musician Series comes from the same region and the same estate, the coffee beans should have similar flavors! Actually, this is not the case. Even within the same estate, it cannot be guaranteed that the coffee growing environment is the same. Altitude and bean varieties are all factors that affect coffee flavor. If you don't believe it, then buy the complete Musician Series from FrontStreet Coffee and do a comparison yourself! Of course, you can now follow FrontStreet Coffee to do a "cloud experiment."

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters:

V60 Dripper
Water Temperature: 91°C
Water-to-Coffee Ratio: 1:15
Coffee Amount: 15g
Grind Size: (80% pass-through rate on China #20 standard sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Method:

Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. Pour in small circular motions to 125g, then pause. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper. (Timer starts from blooming) Extraction time: 2'00".

Tasting Notes:

"Mozart" Dry Aroma: Berry aroma and fermented scent.
Wet Aroma: Entry brings raisins and sweet orange. As temperature changes, fermented wine aroma and osmanthus fragrance become more apparent.

"Beethoven" Dry Aroma: Berries, tea fragrance.
Wet Aroma: Entry brings citrus, black tea. As temperature changes, caramel and tea-like qualities become more apparent.

"Bach" Dry Aroma: Fermented scent.
Wet Aroma: Entry brings tropical fruits, fermented taste. As temperature changes, cream, nuts, and caramel become more apparent.

In terms of mouthfeel, "Mozart" and "Bach" have more prominent fermented and fruity notes, with a fuller body and sufficient sweetness; "Beethoven" has more prominent citrus and black tea flavors, with a cleaner, crisper mouthfeel.

In terms of aroma, "Mozart" has prominent and relatively rich, complex aromas; "Beethoven" leans toward tea fragrance and is relatively fresh; "Bach" has complex, rich fermented fruit aromas.

Of course, for some people, the Musician Series may not be the best choice. At FrontStreet Coffee, we also offer blueberry coffee beans from the Brunca region, processed using anaerobic double honey. When dry, it has a light rose floral aroma with a slight fermented scent. It delivers a blueberry gummy candy mouthfeel, with a hint of minty coolness in the aftertaste. It's a coffee that tastes excellent both hot and iced.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473