Costa Rica Musician Series: Beethoven Washed Coffee Bean Flavor Profile

The main coffee varieties in Costa Rica are Caturra and Catuai. While Caturra and Catuai have relatively mild aromas, they offer excellent stability. Consequently, Costa Rican coffee beans are often characterized by their honey processing methods. However, washed processing typically better reflects the fundamental flavors of a region.

Today, we are evaluating washed coffee beans from this production region at the FrontStreet Coffee workshop:

Costa Rica Musician Series - Beethoven

Region: Tarrazú, Hacienda Cañet

Altitude: 1900m

Variety: Yellow Catuai

Grade: Strictly Hard Bean (SHB)

Processing: Washed

Brewing Method:

Grind: VARIO grinder setting 5C

Dripper: V60

Water Temperature: 91°C

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Brewing Time: 2 minutes (including bloom)

Tasting Notes:

Dry Aroma: Sweet fragrance of strawberry and floral notes, with rich toasted nut aromas

Wet Aroma: Strawberry, honey, citrus, almond, and black tea

Flavor: Initial entry reveals lemon-citrus acidity accompanied by honey fragrance. The middle notes transition to honey-fruit-tea-like sweet and sour flavors with black tea notes. The aftertaste features brown sugar and toffee sweetness.

Coffee Variety Knowledge:

Yellow Catuai is an artificial hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo, cultivated in Brazil in 1949. Yellow Catuai possesses excellent disease resistance, making it suitable for cultivation in high-altitude and windy areas. It features clean, delicate acidity with rich tea aromas and subtle fermented notes in fragrance.