Costa Rica Geisha Coffee - Introduction to COE27 Don Mayo Estate

FrontStreet Coffee - Costa Rica COE 27 Don Mayo Estate Honey Process

Costa Rica COE 27 Don Mayo Estate Honey Process

Bean Name: Don Mayo Honey

Mill: Beneficio Don Mayo

Region: Tarrazu

Variety: Caturra

Processing Method: Honey process

Although the Don Mayo mill traces a 15-year history, it is actually quite young - the family cooperative was founded in 1994, but they didn't build their own processing plant until 2005. The mill sits about five kilometers north of San Marcos de Tarrazu and handles process development and post-harvest processing for ten affiliated estates. Since those estates sit on mountain slopes between 1,500 and 1,950 meters, all Don Mayo coffee qualifies as SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) grade.

Traditionally, Costa Rica took pride in its washed coffee: uniformly hand-picked, ripe red-purple cherries and strictly controlled soaking and fermentation. Just the right degree of fermentation achieved an excellent balance between clarity and complexity.

In recent years, however, that tradition has lost its dominance. Innovative "dry" methods have become the trend, and micro-mills have sprung up across the country. Because they consume only 5% of the water used by traditional washed mills - and need neither large tanks nor expansive drying patios - these micro-mills can be built away from riverbanks. The required investment is also far smaller, putting them within reach of independent estates and small cooperatives. More importantly, these new methods, in the hands of skilled and adventurous producers, have created honey-processed coffees with lower acidity, greater complexity, and rich, sweet aromas that have become hot property in the coffee world. Outstanding examples have shone in major competitions and raised the international profiles of their estates - among them Brumas, Herbazu, Helsar, Las Lajas, Don Mayo, and Montes de Oro.

Because honey-processed character depends heavily on the depulper settings - the more mucilage retained, the more pronounced the honey character - each lot tells its own story. This Costa Rica COE 27 honey lot offers distinct flavors of jasmine, fresh grass, lemon, peach, caramel, green apple, and marzipan, with a complex lactic-citric acidity, a long aftertaste, and a creamy, round mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If Costa Rican honey processing intrigues you, FrontStreet Coffee's Strawberry Candy Geisha Blend is the perfect way to keep exploring. This blend pairs a Costa Rican honey-processed component with washed Panama Geisha: the Geisha contributes its classic orange-blossom and honeyed character, while the Costa Rican lot - raisin honey processed with 100% of the mucilage retained and zero water - adds notes of grape and dried blueberry, soft fruit acidity, and an almond finish with pronounced sweetness.

For a purer single-origin expression of Costa Rican honey craft, FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Mozart uses the innovative raisin honey process: cherries are pre-dried on raised beds for at least three days before depulping, keeping all of the mucilage for an even richer, hotter-fruit sweetness. Brewed as pour-over, cold brew, or moka pot, it reveals distinct osmanthus, pineapple, and raisin aromas.