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Major Coffee Producing Countries in Central America - Costa Rican Coffee Flavor Characteristics

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). FrontStreet Coffee - American Coffee Regions. Introduction to Costa Rican Coffee. Although Costa Rica is a small country with coffee production accounting for less than 1% of the world's total, and the Arabica coffee was directly introduced from Ethiopia, Costa Rican coffee is renowned as one of the world's finest coffees.

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

FrontStreet Coffee - American Coffee Growing Regions: Introduction to Costa Rican Coffee

Costa Rica

Although the country is small, Costa Rica's coffee production accounts for less than 1% of the world's total. The "Arabica coffee" was directly introduced from Ethiopia. However, Costa Rican coffee is renowned as one of the finest coffees globally. Tarrazú is considered the most popular coffee-producing region in Costa Rica. Influenced by its volcanic soil, coffee grown there features rich, smooth walnut flavors.

The Development History of Costa Rican Coffee

Costa Rica's coffee industry started early, making it the first country in Central America to cultivate coffee. In 1820, the first batch of coffee was shipped to Colombia. In 1854, it was praised as "golden beans" by British nobility. Since then, coffee has become Costa Rica's main economic crop, and this development elevated the status of Costa Rican coffee farmers.

Cultivation Characteristics of Costa Rican Coffee

In Costa Rica, only Arabica coffee trees are cultivated. The green beans are large in size, generally indicating superior coffee quality. In the early 20th century, the Costa Rican government established a law stipulating that all coffee farms or plantations within the country could only grow Arabica varieties. Additionally, coffee farmers regularly prune their coffee trees to maintain them at a height of 2 meters for easier harvesting, while Robusta varieties became "prohibited" within the country.

Costa Rican Strictly Hard Beans

Due to the high altitude variations in Costa Rica's coffee-growing regions, superior growing conditions are created for local coffee trees. The coffee produced there has a light, pure flavor with pleasant aroma. Excellent Costa Rican coffee is known as Strictly Hard Bean (SHB). SHB refers to strictly hard beans grown at altitudes above 1500 meters. Generally, the higher the altitude, the better the coffee beans, with more intense flavors. Costa Rican SHG coffee typically features full-bodied beans, clear flavor profiles, bright acidity, and ideal viscosity. The flavor offers notes of nuts, floral, and toffee, with sweet and captivating aromas.

Flavor Characteristics of Costa Rican Coffee

The flavor profile of Costa Rican coffee represents the classic characteristics of premium coffee, and its reputation as superior coffee is well-deserved. Costa Rican coffee consistently offers balanced flavors - mild taste, high acidity, aromatic, and rich texture. It drinks extremely balanced, which contributes to its widespread popularity.

Knowledge Extension

Most Costa Rican coffee undergoes the washed processing method. Additionally, coffee is also processed using the honey method, a processing technique closely associated with Costa Rica.

Conclusion

In summary: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house that enjoys sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation because we want more friends to fall in love with coffee. Every month, we hold three low-discount coffee events because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest prices - this has been our mission for the past 6 years!