Introduction to Flavor Characteristics of Costa Rica Natural Process Dota Microlot Coffee Beans

When it comes to Costa Rican coffee, I always think of Costa Rica's honey process, so when I encounter Costa Rican coffee processed by other methods, I can't help but feel excited~ Today, FrontStreet Coffee is sharing a natural process coffee from Dota, Tarrazu, Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Dota Microlots

Origin: Tarrazu, Dota

Processing Method: Natural Process

Variety: Caturra, Catuai

Altitude: 1200-1700m

Costa Rica

When coffee was first introduced to Central America for cultivation, it arrived in Costa Rica. Costa Rica has a long history of coffee cultivation. Located in the Central American isthmus, the volcanic soil is extremely fertile and well-drained, making it perfect for coffee growth!

Costa Rica has eight major producing regions: West Valley, Central Valley, Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Brunca, Turrialba, and Guanacaste.

Among these regions, Tarrazu deserves special mention. The Tarrazu region is located south of Costa Rica's capital, San José, and has a considerably high altitude, which results in coffee with rich flavor profiles. It's no wonder that Tarrazu is one of Costa Rica's most valued coffee-growing areas.

Today, FrontStreet Coffee is sharing this natural process microlot from the Dota region of Tarrazu.

Dota

Dota is located on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, so it experiences distinct wet and dry seasons. The average planting altitude of coffee farms here is between 1200-1700 meters, making it a high-altitude region. Therefore, coffee produced here is classified as SHB (Strictly Hard Bean)!

Interestingly, coffee farmers in the Dota region believe their coffee is superior to coffee from other parts of Tarrazu. This is because as early as 1865, most Costa Rican coffee came from the Dota region. Later, when Costa Rica was opening roads through the Dota valley, they passed through the Tarrazu region, and eventually the Dota region was incorporated into the Tarrazu region.

So when exporting high-quality coffee in the past, they would label it as "Dota Tarrazu."

Local small-scale coffee farmers are accustomed to using California earthworms to improve soil and directly provide nutrient sources for coffee trees during the fertilization period.

What is a Microlot?

Microlot coffee comes from a specific section of a farm, sometimes from a very small farm, or possibly from a small plot shared by many producers.

Coffee is harvested and processed in small batches. Due to increased labor costs, this leads to higher end prices, so microlot coffees typically have exceptional quality.

Simply put, it's about further selecting the best-performing beans from an already outstanding batch.

Processing Method

This coffee uses a rare natural processing method for Costa Rica.

Natural process, as the name suggests, involves drying the harvested coffee cherries under the sun.

1. Removing Floating Beans: The harvested coffee fruits are poured into large water tanks. Ripe, full fruits sink to the bottom, while underdeveloped or overripe fruits float to the surface. These floating beans must be removed.

2. Sun Drying: The entire coffee fruit with pulp, skin, and parchment is placed on drying patios to sun-dry naturally until the moisture content reaches about 12%. This takes about two to four weeks, depending on the local climate.

3. Hulling: The naturally dried fruit pods are processed through a hulling machine to remove the dry, hard fruit skin, pulp, and parchment layer, revealing the green coffee beans.

Roasting Analysis

Roasting Machine: Yangjia 800N (Batch size: 550g)

Start at 170°C with heat at 140 and damper at 3. Return temperature at 1'40". When the temperature reaches 140°C, open the damper to 4, keeping heat unchanged. When the temperature reaches 149.2°C, the bean surface turns yellow and grassy aroma completely disappears, entering the dehydration stage. When the temperature reaches 160°C, adjust the heat to 110, keeping the damper unchanged.

At 8'11", ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, and the toast aroma clearly transitions to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this point, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'08", first crack begins, open the damper to 5. After first crack, develop for 1'45 and drop at 196°C.

Agtron bean color value is 71.7 (left image), Agtron ground color value is 80.3 (right image), Roast Delta value is 8.6.

Cupping Notes: Nuts, fermented aroma, cream, grapefruit, dried fruit

Pour-over Brewing

Recommended Brewing Method: Pour-over

Parameters: Water temperature: 89-90°C; Grind size: Medium-fine (BG 5R: 58% pass-through on China standard #20 sieve); Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15; Use segmented extraction method for brewing.

Use 30g of water for bloom, bloom for 30 seconds; Use small water flow to pour in the center until 124g, then increase water flow to pour until 225g when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, and remove the filter cup when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again. (Timing starts from bloom) Extraction time: 1'46".

The wet aroma has fermented notes. The first sip reveals citrus acidity with flavors of raisins, caramel, and chocolate. The mouthfeel is relatively full-bodied.

Important Notice :

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