Roasting Profile | How FrontStreet Coffee Determines the Roasting Curve for Costa Rica Fire Phoenix Sapphire

Introduction

We recently launched the Fire Phoenix Sapphire coffee beans and shared brewing methods for this particular variety. With its rich floral and berry notes, it has been well-received by many coffee enthusiasts. Today, a friend inquired about the roasting profile for these beans, so I'd like to share how FrontStreet Coffee determines the roasting profile for this particular coffee.

Bean Information

Before roasting, it's essential to understand the basic information about these beans; otherwise, they might end up over-roasted!

Costa Rica Central Valley Cumbres Del Poas Zahiro

Costa Rica Fire Phoenix Estate Sapphire

Region: Central Valley

Estate: Fire Phoenix Estate

Altitude: 1600m

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai

Grade: SHB

Processing: Natural

Flavor Notes: Floral, Berry, Tropical Fruit, Fermented Wine Aroma, Brown Sugar

Fire Phoenix Estate is located in the hilly terrain around Poas Volcano in Costa Rica's Central Valley. It was one of the early producers in Central and South America to specialize in honey-processed and natural coffee methods. This is an organically grown coffee estate where the owner has always placed great emphasis on environmental protection concepts (such as collecting rainwater for coffee processing) and uses vermicomposting (worm composting) for organic fertilizer production, ensuring that no chemical fertilizers or pesticides are used during cultivation.

The natural processing of Sapphire (Zahiro) beans is quite labor-intensive. The hand-picked, high-sugar-content cherries are first placed on African raised beds for sun-drying for about 10 days, then moved to greenhouse structures covered with plastic sheeting to create more direct heat and continue drying until the moisture content reaches 11.5%. During this slow drying process, the beans are carefully tended and constantly turned. Eventually, the bright red cherries turn black, emitting aromas of fruit cake, brown sugar, and even sherry wine!

Roasting Analysis

Costa Rican SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) grade coffee has high bean density. The Caturra and Catuai varieties both exhibit excellent floral notes and fruit acidity. Additionally, being naturally processed gives them high sweetness. To fully showcase their character, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters decided to use a lower charge temperature (compared to washed coffees) and employed a medium-heat approach with gradual heat reduction for roasting. They created three different roasting profiles with the same charge temperature but different drop times.

Profile ①

Charge Temperature: 170°C, Yellowing Point: 5'55", 151.4°C, First Crack: 9'31", 184.5°C, Development after First Crack: 2'25", Drop Temperature: 198.4°C

Cupping Notes: Floral, Berry, Brown Sugar, Fermented Wine Aroma

Profile ②

Charge Temperature: 170°C, Yellowing Point: 5'40", 151.6°C, First Crack: 9'00", 183.9°C, Development after First Crack: 2'05", Drop Temperature: 195°C

Cupping Notes: Rose Floral, Berry, Fermented Wine Aroma, Tropical Fruit, Honey

Profile ③

Charge Temperature: 170°C, Yellowing Point: 5'45", 151.1°C, First Crack: 9'05", 184.5°C, Development after First Crack: 1'45", Drop Temperature: 195°C

Cupping Notes: Berry, Sucrose, Tea Aroma, Fruit Tea

After cupping and comparing these three profiles, we found that this coffee's floral notes, berry characteristics, and sweetness were quite prominent across all profiles. However, Profile ① tasted somewhat muted during cupping, with flavors not clearly defined, and the aftertaste showed astringency as temperature changed. Profile ② was overall well-balanced, with pronounced aroma, distinct flavors, and full body. As temperature changed, both flavors and mouthfeel performed excellently, with a long-lasting finish. Profile ③ was overall cleaner and more refreshing, with pronounced aroma and distinct flavor layers. As temperature changed, it exhibited fruit tea characteristics, which was quite impressive. Finally, we decided to brew separate pots using Profile ② and Profile ③ to see which profile would perform better in pour-over extraction.

Pour-over Brewing (Consistent Technique Applied)

Dripper: Hario V60, Water Temperature: 90°C, Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15, Grind Size: Medium-fine (BG6T: 58% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Method: Pour-over brewing. Start with 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour in a small circular motion to 128g before pausing. Continue pouring to 225g when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed. Remove the dripper when the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again (timing starts from the bloom). Total extraction time: 1'55".

Profile ②: Overall well-balanced with noticeable sweetness. Initial taste reveals rich floral notes, berry, fermented wine aroma, with honey and cocoa in the finish.

Profile ③: Overall noticeable sweetness. Initial taste reveals fermented wine aroma, floral notes, berry, with cocoa in the finish, but with noticeable astringency in the mouthfeel.

Through cupping and brewing, Profile ② consistently performed better, so we ultimately decided to adopt Profile ②.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473