Costa Rica Diamond Series Coffee - Costa Rica Diamond Series Venecia Honey

FrontStreet Coffee - Costa Rica Diamond Series Venecia Black Honey

Costa Rica Diamond Series Venecia honey

Region: Tarrazú

Variety: Venecia

Processing Method: Honey Process

Altitude: 1700-1800M

Grade: SHB

When it comes to Costa Rican coffee, it is worth noting just how good those beans can be — high in sweetness, rich, and full-bodied. Since coffee was introduced from Cuba in 1729, the country has required that only Arabica varieties be cultivated. High altitudes, good drainage, and fertile volcanic soil have combined to give Costa Rican beans exceptional sweetness and pleasant acidity.

Honey Process

There is also something important to say about Costa Rica's honey process. Most Costa Rican coffee is processed this way, and the method grew out of the country's climate. Costa Rica's year is essentially half rainy and half dry, and the dry season lines up perfectly with the coffee harvest. That is how farmers developed a honey processing method that sits between natural and washed.

The honey process dries coffee beans with their mucilage still on. Depending on how much mucilage is removed, how long the beans are sun-dried (or how thick the drying layer is), how often they are turned, and other factors, honey processing is further divided into black honey, red honey, orange honey, yellow honey, and white honey.

Diamond Series

The concept behind the Diamond Series comes from the highest grade of wine, Grand Cru. In 1885, the French Emperor Napoleon III classified wine estates, with the top grade designated Grand Cru, literally meaning "noble place" or "famous place." It implies the cultivation of high-quality grapes in exceptional locations. We adopted that idea, focusing on the high-quality micro-batches (micro-regional selections) supplied by farmers from Costa Rica's production organizations. Our cupping team evaluates each batch individually and selects only those with exceptional flavor, to offer a completely new taste experience.

This season's Diamond Series is shared with you: high-quality coffee cherries, carefully chosen. The series represents the latest premium specialty coffee micro-batch collection launched in 2016.

Venecia Coffee Variety

The Venecia coffee variety originates from 100% Caturra plants selected for greater disease resistance and higher productivity. It is a natural mutation of Caturra, chosen because these trees show increased productivity, larger fruit, and strong rain resistance.

In 1991, the Costa Rican Coffee Institute (ICAFE) began researching the variety, running trials in Turrialba, Coto Brus, and Perez Zeledon. During the selection process, the proportion of underweight fruit decreased, and the cherries were generally more uniform in size, with more consistent yields and ratios from tree to tree.

The Perez Zeledon trials showed that the coffee's maturation time appears to be extended, which benefits certain environments and has a significant impact on cup quality. Interest in the variety grew, and in 2010 Venecia was launched as a late-maturing variety with excellent cup quality.

The above introduces the "Diamond Series" and the "Venecia coffee variety." As for the flavor profile of this particular bean — we will save that for our next sharing session.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Honey processing began as "pulp natural" — drying the bean with the mucilage left on so the sugars cling to it. It shortens the drying time while avoiding the off-flavors of a poor fermentation, and Brazil's classic half-washed Cerrado, with its creamy peanut, nut, and chocolate character, was the original model. Costa Rica then borrowed the idea and refined it by how much mucilage is retained and how long the beans dry, yielding the black, red, yellow, and white honey styles that FrontStreet Coffee's Diamond Series explores.

For the fullest expression of the honey approach, FrontStreet's Blackberry uses a distinctive black honey process that removes almost no pectin and dries for at least two weeks under cover, so the sugars convert slowly and evenly. The result is a medium-light roast that releases a rich floral aroma on the grind and cups with grape, berry, and ripe blackberry. If you want to see how honey processing pairs with other origins, FrontStreet's Strawberry Candy blends Panama Geisha with a Costa Rican raisin-honey lot that keeps 100% of the pectin and uses a zero-water method: Geisha contributes its classic orange-blossom and honeyed tone, while the Costa Rican side adds dried grape and blueberry, soft acidity, an almond finish, and clear sweetness.

FrontStreet also applies the raisin-honey technique to Mozart. Whole cherries are dried on raised beds for at least three days before the skin and pulp are removed, preserving 100% of the pectin and demanding tighter timing than even black honey. The payoff is a cup with an intense hot-fruit sweetness: osmanthus, pineapple, and raisin aromas that come through whether you brew it as a pour-over, a cold brew, or in a moka pot.