Costa Rica Musician Series Coffee Beans - Costa Rica Chopin Coffee Characteristics

Introduction to FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Musician Series - Chopin Flavor Profile

Costa Rica Canet Estate - Chopin

Region: Tarrazú

Variety: Yellow Catuai

Altitude: 1700m

Processing: Raisin Honey Process

Raisin Honey Processing Method

The raisin honey method is a double-fermentation honey process. On harvest day, the cherries are poured into large water tanks: ripe, full fruits sink, while underdeveloped or overripe fruits float, and the floaters are discarded. The selected cherries are then laid on raised beds to dry into a raisin-like state, after which the pulp and skin are removed and the mucilage retained for further drying. In the cup, the fermentation notes are more intense and the flavor layers richer and fuller, with higher mucilage retention than other honey processes. During drying, the cherries must be turned constantly for even drying, but the turning frequency must be managed so drying stays slow enough for proper fermentation, without being so slow that it over-ferments.

Ice Pupil Dripper

The Ice Pupil dripper's ribs run vertically in a tiered, stepped pattern. At the bottom, the dripper can hold the filter paper suspended; at the top, the dripper and filter paper seal completely.

This design has an advantage: because the top is fully sealed, if the water flow suddenly turns heavy or the water runs too hot and floods the channels with no room left to exhaust, the water level drops more slowly, and the brew switches to soaking, KONO-style, guarding against under-extraction.

Parameters: 15g of coffee; medium-fine grind (BG 5T: 58% pass rate on the China standard 20-mesh screen); water at 90°C; coffee-to-water ratio 1:15; brewing method: segmented extraction.

Bloom with 35g of water for 30 seconds, then inject 97g of water with a small flow, segmenting at 132g total. Continue pouring to 226g as the water level is about to expose the coffee bed. Remove the dripper when the level is about to expose the bed (timing starts from the bloom). Extraction time: 1'56".

Flavor: The wet aroma carries osmanthus and fermentation notes. On entry: strawberry, citrus, and lemon acidity with cane sugar sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Chopin's raisin honey character appeals to you, FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Mozart comes from the same raisin honey tradition. The method pre-dries the cherries on raised beds for at least three days before removing skin and pulp for honey fermentation, retaining 100% of the mucilage and using zero water, a process even more demanding than black honey, requiring strict control of timing. The reward: rich hot-fruit sweetness, with distinctive osmanthus, pineapple, and raisin aromas whether brewed as pour-over, cold brew, or moka pot. For a contrast within the honey family, FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Blackberry takes the black honey route, removing almost none of the mucilage and drying at least two weeks under shade cover with regular turning, then a medium-light roast that opens with fresh floral aroma and delivers grape, berry, and ripe blackberry flavors. Both are made for drinkers who love intense, winey-honey sweetness with a clean, balanced finish, and both shine with the same gentle segmented pour-over technique used for Chopin above.