Why Does Costa Rican Coffee Taste Sweeter? What's the Best Brewing Method for Geisha Variety Coffee?

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Geisha coffee beans originated in Ethiopia and were perfected in Panama, captivating the specialty coffee industry with their enchanting floral aroma and rich fruit acidity. The Geisha variety has also attracted cultivation in many high-altitude countries, including its homeland Ethiopia and Costa Rica with its rich volcanic soils, which continue to research and grow Geisha varieties. FrontStreet Coffee has also acquired numerous Geisha coffee beans from Costa Rica, with the most famous being the small candle estate Geisha coffee beans and the Mirazu estate Geisha blend coffee beans. This article explores the characteristics of Costa Rican Geisha coffee beans.

Costa Rican Geisha coffee beans are mainly grown in the Tarrazu coffee region

The Tarrazu coffee region is located in the fertile volcanic area of Central America, featuring a humid climate, fertile volcanic rock soil, abundant annual rainfall, high altitude, and dense natural forest shade - providing an exceptional growing environment for coffee. Although many coffee estates are established within the Tarrazu region, the microclimates, soil variations, and varietal differences of each estate are quite distinctly expressed. These natural wonders are what drive FrontStreet Coffee to continuously seek different coffee beans from the same region for comparison.

First, let's talk about Mirazu Estate

Mirazu means "overlooking Tarrazu." Located at an altitude of 1700m in Tarrazu, the scenery of Mirazu Estate can be described as stunningly magnificent. The microclimate where the estate is situated was carefully selected by the owner, laying an excellent foundation for the quality of coffee beans grown there. Mirazu Estate is near the small candle estate, and Esteban Sanches, the owner of Mirazu, is actually one of the founders of the small candle estate. The owner himself is a person with a strong spirit of scientific experimentation and has a professional background, particularly enjoying research on coffee varieties. Therefore, he established Mirazu Estate nearby, attempting to cultivate varieties like ET47 Ethiopian native varieties and trying various processing methods. On the other hand, the small wet processing machines at the estate processing plant were designed and assembled by Esteban Sanches himself.

Next, let's talk about the small candle estate

The name "small candle" comes from a group of sparkling fireflies. Near the small candle estate, water sources are abundant and humidity is high. The coffee trees planted within the estate create a highly shaded habitat for fireflies. The small candle estate is located in the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica at an altitude of 1750m. The Tarrazu region has fertile volcanic soil, mild and suitable temperatures, and stable abundant rainfall, providing excellent growing conditions for coffee trees in this area. The microclimate of the small candle estate is beneficial to coffee growth, and the day-night temperature difference allows coffee fruits to better accumulate nutrients and produce more refined flavors. FrontStreet Coffee believes this high-altitude environment with large temperature variations is exactly what Geisha coffee trees desire. Temperature differences slow down the growth rate of coffee trees, extending the flavor formation time of coffee beans, resulting in richer brewed coffee flavors. The delicate fragrance of high-altitude Geisha coffee cannot be replicated by low-altitude grown Geisha.

Coffee Varieties

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned at the beginning, Mirazu Estate offers blended Geisha coffee beans. As long as the beans come from the same origin and the same estate/cooperative, these beans can be defined as single-origin coffee. The Mirazu Estate Geisha blend coffee beans acquired by FrontStreet Coffee use Geisha, ET47, SL28, and Maico varieties. It's worth mentioning the ET47 coffee variety - ET47 was laboratory number 47, as many varieties were introduced during the same period and mostly used numbers for differentiation. Estate owner Esteban Sanchez obtained ET47 and dedicated himself to researching this coffee variety. This variety can be described as a complex composite, carrying many excellent flavors such as fruity sweetness, a rounded and clean mouthfeel, and elegant pleasant acidity. As for the "ancestors" of ET47, the Costa Rican Coffee Research Institute has not published this information.

Since this article discusses Costa Rican Geisha coffee beans, an introduction to the Geisha coffee variety is essential. The Geisha variety was originally collected from the coffee forests of Ethiopia in the 1930s. In 1953, it was brought to the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Central America, where it was recorded as T2722. However, this plant's branches are brittle and not favored by farmers, so it was not widely cultivated.

Coffee Bean Processing Methods

The small candle estate Geisha coffee beans acquired by FrontStreet Coffee use the washed processing method. To highlight the bright acidity and floral characteristics of these beans, the estate owner adopted washed processing for the raw beans. Selected coffee fruits are placed in a depulper to initially remove their skin and pulp; coffee beans with residual pulp and mucilage are placed in water for fermentation for about 24 hours; after fermentation, coffee beans with parchment are placed in flowing water channels to wash away pulp and mucilage; after washing, coffee beans are dried or dried using dryers to reduce moisture content to about 12%. Finally, the parchment of the coffee beans is removed.

The Mirazu Geisha blend coffee beans acquired by FrontStreet Coffee use the raisin honey processing method. The estate owner first selects harvested coffee fruits, places the selected coffee fruits on raised beds to dry for at least three days, then removes the skin while preserving the mucilage before further drying. During the drying process, these coffee beans must be constantly turned to ensure even drying, but the turning frequency must be controlled to ensure slow drying for fermentation while avoiding over-fermentation. FrontStreet Coffee discovered through cupping that the raisin honey processing preserves 100% of the mucilage for sun-drying, resulting in very high flavor sweetness in the coffee, along with a fermented sweetness of preserved fruits.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Records

Mirazu Geisha Blend Coffee Beans: Yangjia 800N, bean input: 480g. Preheat roaster to 200°C, cool to 175°C before loading, adjust heat to 120, open damper to 3, return to temperature point at 1'32", maintain heat; at 114°C, keep heat unchanged, open damper to 4. Turn yellow at 6'15", grassy aroma disappears, entering dehydration stage, adjust heat down to 100 at 140°C, keep damper at 4. Dehydration complete at 9'00", bean surface shows wrinkles and black markings, toast aroma transforms to coffee aroma, as prelude to first crack - pay attention to the sound of first crack at this point. First crack begins at 10'25", fully open damper to 5, keep heat unchanged. Development time after first crack 1'30", drop at 193.5°C.

Small Candle Estate Geisha Coffee Beans: Yangjia 800N, bean input 480g. Load at 180°C, heat 130, damper set to 3; return to temperature point at 1'32", open damper to 4 when roaster temperature reaches 130°C, keep heat unchanged; bean surface turns yellow when roaster temperature reaches 151.6°C, grassy aroma completely disappears, entering dehydration stage. At 7'56", bean surface shows ugly wrinkles and black markings, toast aroma clearly transforms to coffee aroma, can be defined as prelude to first crack, at this point listen carefully for the sound of first crack, first crack begins at 8'30", open damper to 5, develop for 1'28" after first crack, drop at 190°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Comparison

To better compare the flavors of the two coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee used a V60 dripper with 15g coffee powder, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 90°C water temperature, and medium-fine grind size for brewing both coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee Three-Stage Brewing Method:

First, preheat the dripper and server. Pour in 15 grams of coffee powder, gently tap to make the coffee powder surface even. Begin the first water injection, pouring 30 grams of water in the center in a circular motion for a 30-second bloom. The ideal state is that the coffee powder is evenly moistened, forming a small "coffee dome." After 30 seconds, begin the second injection, with water column height of 3-5cm, pouring 95 grams of water from the center outward in concentric circles, with a total injection of 125 grams. The coffee liquid surface should be entirely golden coffee foam. When the powder bed is about to be exposed, begin the final injection of 100 grams, slowly drawing concentric circles while maintaining consistent water flow. When all coffee liquid from the dripper has flowed into the server, remove the dripper to finish extraction. Total time is 1 minute and 55 seconds.

The brewed Geisha blend expresses jasmine aroma, with sweet flavors of raisins and strawberry candy in the mouth, and a nutty cream-like mouthfeel, while the small candle estate is much fresher, with the delicate fragrance of jasmine, lemon acidity, and a honey green tea aftertaste. If you prefer pronounced sweetness, you can choose the Mirazu Estate Geisha blend coffee beans, while those who want a cleaner experience can opt for the small candle estate Geisha coffee beans.

Important Notice :

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