Costa Rica Musician Series Chopin Raisin Honey Process with Osmanthus Rose Aroma

Today, FrontStreet Coffee wants to share a coffee bean from the Musician Series of Hacienda Cañet. This coffee belongs to the Yellow Catuai variety and is processed using the raisin honey method. However, it presents a completely different musical style, which is what makes this Chopin coffee so interesting.

FrontStreet Coffee particularly enjoys Chopin. This coffee presents a clean profile without lacking in flavor. Coffees have different flavor types; some belong to the floral category, while others are fruit-toned. Chopin possesses both characteristics, with a youthful floral aroma enveloping a sweet heart reminiscent of peach and honey. Understanding the great ups and downs that the musician Chopin experienced in the first half of his life, before eventually returning to a peaceful life in his later years, it's as if this coffee is narrating his entire life journey.

Introduction to the Growing Region

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. The country features numerous towering volcanoes reaching altitudes of 2000 meters, allowing coffee cherries to slowly mature in fertile volcanic ash soil and high-altitude cool environments, cultivating coffee beans with complete and rich flavors. Costa Rica has two seasons throughout the year: the dry season from December to April, which is coffee harvesting time, and the wet (rainy) season from May to November. In recent years, many micro-mills have been established, requiring only 5% of the water consumption of traditional washed processing plants, and not requiring large water tanks and drying fields, making the required investment relatively much smaller. "Honey-processed coffee" with low acidity, increased complexity, and rich sweet aroma has thus become a highly sought-after batch in the coffee industry in recent years.

Coffee has been cultivated in Costa Rica for as early as two hundred years, initially planted on the slopes of the Poas and Barva volcanoes, which is what we now call the Central Valley. Currently, Costa Rica has eight main growing regions: West Valley, Central Valley, Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Brunca, Turrialba, and Guanacaste. Tarrazu is one of the main coffee-producing areas here. The Tarrazu region has a certain history of coffee production and once received favor and recognition from the British royal family, even being praised in the Pope's speeches.

Hacienda Cañet

Hacienda Cañet is located in the highest altitude area of the Tarrazu region, which is the most intensive fruit-growing area in Costa Rica. Hacienda Cañet mainly grows passion fruit, with coffee quantities being quite scarce. Only a specific area is planted with coffee, receiving special care. All coffee cherries are hand-picked, harvesting only mature red cherries, but after harvesting and before processing, they undergo another screening step to remove underripe or overripe beans.

Raisin Honey Processing Method

The raisin honey processing method is considered a double fermentation honey processing method. On the day of harvesting coffee cherries, the harvested coffee fruits are poured into large water tanks. Mature and full fruits will sink to the bottom; underdeveloped or overripe fruits will float to the surface, and these floating beans must be removed. The selected coffee fruits are placed on raised beds to dry to a raisin-like state, then the pulp and skin are removed while preserving the mucilage before further drying. In terms of flavor, the fermentation aroma is more intense, and the flavor layers are richer and fuller. Moreover, the preservation of mucilage is higher than in other honey processing methods. During the drying process, these coffee cherries must be constantly turned to ensure even drying, but the turning frequency must be controlled to allow for slow drying to ensure the coffee has fermentation treatment, but not so slow as to cause over-fermentation.

Variety (Yellow Catuai)

Yellow Catuai (Catuai Amarillo) comes from a hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra, first cultivated in 1949 by Brazil's "Instituto Agronomico de Campinas." Like Red Catuai (Catuai Rojo), Yellow Catuai has extremely high disease resistance, suitable for cultivation at high altitudes and windy areas. Both Catuai varieties have very delicate and clean acidity. When observing the green beans, they appear bluish-green and smell of rich tea fragrance with a light fermented aroma. Costa Rica's Cañet Musician Series includes Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach coffees. This year, the Costa Rica Musician Series has added a new coffee bean named Chopin. Unlike other flavors, this Chopin bean has distinct rose floral aroma and more prominent sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Analysis

Roaster: Yangjia 800N Semi-direct fire (roasting amount: 300g)

Preheat the roaster to 180°C, then load the beans. Adjust the heat to 130, open the damper to 3, with the temperature recovery point at 1'36", maintaining heat; at 140°C, keep the heat unchanged and open the damper to 4. At 5'20", the beans turn yellow, grassy aroma disappears, entering the dehydration stage. At 166°C, reduce heat to 110, keeping the damper at 4. At 176°C, adjust heat to 80, keeping the damper unchanged. At 8'15", dehydration is complete, wrinkles and black markings appear on the bean surface, toast aroma turns to coffee aroma, serving as the prelude to first crack. At this point, pay attention to listening for the first crack sound. At 9'21", first crack begins, open the damper fully to 5, keeping heat unchanged. Post-first crack development time is 2'05", dropping at 195.2°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Chopin Color Values

Agtron bean color value is 70.3 (image above), Agtron ground color value is 78.3 (image below), Roast Delta value is 8.

Costa Rica Musician Series - Chopin

• Grade: SHB
• Region: Tarrazu
• Processing Method: Raisin Honey Process
• Variety: Yellow Catuai
• Estate: Hacienda Cañet
• Altitude: 1700m
• Flavor Notes: Raisin, Berries, Lime, Rose Tea

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Guide

Dripper: Hario V60
Water Temperature: 90-92°C
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Grind Size: Fine sugar (80% pass-through rate with China standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Method: Poured Extraction

Today, FrontStreet Coffee has chosen the Hario V60 as our dripper. The V60 can be said to be one of FrontStreet Coffee's favorite drippers. Because this dripper's design focuses on the speed of water level descent, its internal ribs adopt a curved vortex structure design to help accelerate water flow. Therefore, when using this dripper, there are higher requirements for the thickness of the water flow and the water level. FrontStreet Coffee typically chooses to use a poured extraction method to pair with this dripper, slowing down the flow rate of coffee liquid and improving the extraction of coffee grounds.

Use 30g of water for a 30-second bloom. When pouring water in a small circular motion to 125g, segment the pour. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 228g and stop. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper (timing starts from the bloom). Extraction time is 1'56".

Flavor Profile

When brewing this Chopin with 92°C water temperature, the citrus acidity and tea sensation are more apparent upon entry, with berry notes. As the temperature slightly cools, there's a rich fermented aroma, and the sweetness lingering between the lips and teeth is quite persistent. When brewing with 90°C water temperature, the rose floral aroma is more prominent, with raisin and tea sensations upon entry. As the temperature slightly cools, there's a fermented aroma, the mouthfeel is relatively smooth, and the sweetness is also quite evident.

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