Costa Rica Green Bean Grading System - The Ultimate Experience of SHB Highest Grade Coffee

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FrontStreet Coffee - Introduction to Costa Rican Grading System

Costa Rica is one of the earliest countries in Central and South America where coffee was introduced, and it has both a long history and a complete organizational system running from production through to sales. It lies on the Central American isthmus, where the volcanic soil is extremely fertile and well drained. This is especially true in the central highlands, where the coffee-growing areas sit on volcanic terrain with fertile volcanic ash, mild and suitable temperatures, and steady, abundant rainfall.

The beans grown there are all Arabica, with a pure flavor and a pleasing aroma. In both acidity and mouthfeel they achieve an impeccable balance. The beans are full-bodied, with ideal acidity and a unique, intense aroma.

Costa Rican coffee beans are graded quite simply, by the altitude of the plantation, into seven grades in total:

1. Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) 4500 feet and above
2. Hard Bean (HB) 4000-4500 feet
3. Semi Hard Bean (SH) 3500-4000 feet
4. Prime Washed (EPW) 3000-3500 feet
5. Good Washed (PW) 2500-3000 feet
6. Extra Good Washed (EGW) 2000-2500 feet
7. Good Washed (GW) below 2000 feet

Today, specialty coffee most commonly uses beans from the SHB, HB, and SH grades.

Knowledge Point: In the late 18th century, Costa Rica became the first country in Central America to fully establish a coffee industry.

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a specialty coffee research workshop, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. We also run three low-price coffee events each month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants more people to enjoy the best coffee at the lowest price. That has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past 6 years.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Costa Rica's altitude-based grading exists because the higher a coffee grows, the slower the cherry matures and the denser and cleaner the bean becomes by the time it reaches the washing station. The SHB tier represents that idea at its purest, and the same logic runs through everything FrontStreet Coffee sources from high ground. One clear example is the FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Gediding Cooperative coffee, washed in the traditional way and, after a medium-light roast, opening into white florals, bright citrus, and a green tea finish.

If it is the washed clarity behind a top grade that draws you in, the FrontStreet Kenya Small Tomato shows what a 72-hour double washed fermentation can do: grown at 1550-1750 meters from the classic SL28 and SL34 varieties, it pours out cherry tomato, smoked plum, snow pear, and black plum over a yellow-sugar sweetness. For a bean that takes balance to its logical conclusion, the FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No.1 delivers hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel with not a single note out of place.