[FrontStreet Coffee Bean Exploration Journal] Costa Rica Finca Phoenix Estate Sapphire Special Feature

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Cafe Style (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

Costa Rica Central Valley Cumbres Del Poas Zahiro

Costa Rica Fire Phoenix Estate Sapphire

Region: Central Valley

Estate: Fire Phoenix Estate

Altitude: 1600m

Variety: Caturra, Catuai

Grade: SHB

Processing Method: Natural

Region Introduction

Costa Rica is located in the Central American Isthmus, regulated by Pacific and Atlantic ocean currents and sea breezes that influence the climate. Within its borders lie many towering volcanoes reaching 2000 meters in altitude, blessed with fertile volcanic ash, mild and suitable temperatures, and stable abundant rainfall. These factors contribute to coffee becoming one of Costa Rica's main agricultural products. Coffee cherries can grow slowly in the fertile volcanic ash soil and high-altitude cool environment, cultivating coffee beans with complete and rich flavors. The coffee beans produced in Costa Rica's high-latitude regions are world-renowned - rich, mild in taste, yet extremely acidic. The coffee beans here are carefully processed, which is why they achieve high quality.

Central Valley

The Central Valley region is also the earliest area in Costa Rica where coffee was cultivated, before the country's coffee industry developed to other regions. With moderate annual rainfall of 118 inches and an average annual temperature of only 19°C, combined with high altitude, the beans have hard texture, sufficient aroma, smooth mouthfeel, high acidity, plump body, and rich fragrance. Coffee from this region is Costa Rica's earliest coffee cultivation area, with rich volcanic soil that sometimes carries chocolate aromas.

Estate Introduction

Fire Phoenix Estate is located in the hilly area of Poas Volcano in Costa Rica's Central Valley. It is one of the earliest producers in Central and South America to start honey processing and natural processing of coffee, and is an organically cultivated coffee estate. The estate owner believes that organic farming practices are better choices for environmental protection and family health, and despite facing many technical and organizational challenges, they remain committed to this philosophy.

The estate gained significant recognition when participating in the 2009 Specialty Coffee Competition. During the harvest season, they use a Brix meter, commonly equipped in the wine industry, to measure the sugar content of the fruit. Based on Brix sugar content, they determine the optimal timing and processing method for harvesting - only fruits exceeding 20% sweetness are selected for natural processing. For comparison, general fruit Brix values are: apples 14, lemons 12, passion fruit 18, but Fire Phoenix's coffee cherries can reach 21-22%.

The estate places great emphasis on environmentally friendly processing concepts (such as collecting rainwater for coffee processing) and uses worm composting (vermicomposting) organic fertilizers, making the cultivation process completely free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The natural processing of Zahiro is quite labor-intensive. Hand-picked high-sugar cherries are first placed on African raised beds to dry in the sun for about 10 days, then moved to plastic-covered greenhouses to create more direct heat and continue drying until the moisture content reaches 11.5%. The slow drying process allows the green beans to develop more natural sweetness from within, but also requires more careful attention with constant turning. Eventually, the bright red cherries turn black, emitting aromas of fruit cake, brown sugar, and even sherry wine!

Varieties (Caturra, Catuai)

Caturra is a Bourbon variety discovered in Brazil in 1937. It has better production capacity and disease resistance than Bourbon, with shorter plants that facilitate harvesting. It has strong adaptability and doesn't require shade trees - it thrives even when directly exposed to bright sun, commonly known as Sun Coffee. Caturra is suitable for cultivation from low altitudes of 700 meters to high altitudes of 1700 meters. It has strong altitude adaptability, but higher altitudes produce better flavors with relatively reduced yield - this is the destiny of specialty beans.

Catuai is also an Arabica hybrid variety, a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra. It has better resistance to natural disasters, particularly wind and rain resistance. It inherits the advantage of Caturra's low plant height, addressing Mundo Novo's shortcomings. Another advantage is its firm fruit that doesn't fall easily in strong winds, compensating for Arabica's weakness of being fragile.

The green beans appear overall uneven in length. Besides the typical grassy aroma of raw beans, they emit a light floral tea aroma and rich fruit fragrance.

Processing Method (Natural)

This coffee uses the natural processing method. The natural processing method is the oldest and most primitive processing method for coffee beans. Harvested coffee cherries are placed on patios, and some are even directly dried on roadsides, receiving direct sunlight exposure (approximately 27-30 days) to reduce moisture from 60% to about 12%. Beans processed through natural methods have the lowest acidity, noticeable sweetness, high body but slightly lower cleanliness.

Roasting Analysis

This Costa Rica Fire Phoenix Sapphire possesses rich berry and tropical fruit aromas. To preserve the abundant fruit flavors and sweetness of this coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's roaster adopts a medium roast approach.

Yangjia 800N Roaster (300g batch)

Start with drum temperature at 170°C, damper setting at 3, heat at 110. Return temperature at 1'36", 97.9°C. When drum temperature reaches 140°C, open damper to 4. At this point, the bean surface turns yellow, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering the dehydration stage. When 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, with the toasted bread aroma clearly transitioning to coffee aroma - this can be defined as the prelude to first crack. Listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'00", first crack begins, adjust damper to 5 (adjust heat very carefully, not too small to avoid silence). After first crack, develop for 2'05", drop at 195°C.

Agtron bean color value 69.3 (upper image), Agtron ground color value 75.4 (lower image), Roast Delta value 6.1.

Cupping Profile

Flavor: Berries, tropical fruits, fermented wine aroma, brown sugar

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Parameters

Recommended Brewing Method: Pour-over

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Coffee Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:16

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (BG 6k: China standard #20 sieve pass rate 58%)

Brewing Technique: Multi-stage extraction

Use 34g of water for bloom, wait 30 seconds. Continue pouring with small circular motion to 127g, then segment. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 240g and stop. When water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper (timing starts from bloom). Total extraction time is 2'05".

Flavor Description

Dry aroma shows distinct tropical fruits, fermented aromas, and sweet spices. Wet aroma releases berry and honey fragrances. On the palate, there are strawberries, tropical fruits, fermented wine notes, with honey and cocoa in the finish. The overall mouthfeel is smooth with distinct flavor layers and 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