Costa Rican Coffee: Musicians Series Beethoven with Delicate Sweet and Sour Notes

FrontStreet Coffee: Costa Rica Musician Series Beethoven

Costa Rican coffee is renowned for its purity and sweetness, and the Tarrazú region in particular has earned acclaim for quality—most of its coffees grade highly. This lot comes from an area up to 1,900 meters, where Caturra thrives: the higher the altitude, the finer the cup. Caturra is especially popular across Central and South America for its excellent cupping performance, and this coffee is named for Beethoven precisely because its flavor, like the composer himself, is small in stature yet rich and varied.

Caturra was first discovered in São Paulo state, Brazil, in 1937. It yields well, cups beautifully, resists leaf rust, and its compact plants make harvesting easier—though cultivation costs run higher, and like its Bourbon parent it suffers a biennial bearing cycle. Perhaps because Brazil's growing conditions don't suit it, Caturra was never planted widely there; instead it swept through Central America. It performs best at high altitude, where flavor improves as yields fall.

Costa Rica Musician Series Beethoven

Region: Tarrazú

Variety: Yellow Caturra

Processing Method: Washed

Altitude: 1,900 meters

Flavor: White florals, citrus, clean and smooth, with a Geisha-like body

About FrontStreet Coffee

In short, FrontStreet Coffee is a dedicated, research-driven coffee establishment that loves sharing what it knows, without reservation, to help more people fall in love with coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the "Geisha-like" note in this Caturra intrigues you, go straight to the source of that reputation: FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Boquete Gesha. This entry-level Gesha, grown at 1,600 meters in Boquete, delivers the classic orange-blossom honey sweetness, oolong-tea texture, and delicate fruit acidity of top Panamanian Gesha—at a friendly price.

Or try the FrontStreet Strawberry Candy blend, which pairs honey-processed Costa Rica—the same country as this Beethoven lot—with Panamanian Gesha. The result carries fine florals and sweet fruit in one cup, and works as a pour-over, moka pot brew, espresso, or even cold brew.