Costa Rica Diamond Series Micro-batch Black Honey Process Coffee Beans Costa Rica Coffee

Latest Updates from Costa Rica's Coffee Regions

According to data from the Costa Rican government, Costa Rica exported 29,147 bags (60kg each) of coffee in November 2020, representing an increase of nearly 85% compared to 15,796 bags during the same period last year. This marks the sixth consecutive month of export growth. Favorable weather conditions leading to increased production, effective maintenance of coffee plantations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and strong international demand for Costa Rican coffee have all contributed to this export growth.

Article Introduction

You may be unfamiliar with the Venecia coffee variety. In most people's impression, coffee varieties planted in Central American coffee regions are dominated by Caturra and Catuai. The Venecia variety that FrontStreet Coffee will discuss in this article is 100% selected from Caturra plants that are more disease-resistant and higher-yielding, making it a natural mutation of Caturra.

FrontStreet Coffee - Costa Rica Diamond Series Venecia Coffee Beans

Region: Tarrazu, Costa Rica
Variety: Venecia
Processing: Black Honey
Altitude: 1700-1800m
Grade: SHB

Coffee Bean Varieties

Venecia

The Venecia coffee variety is 100% selected from Caturra plants that are more disease-resistant and higher-yielding, making it a natural mutation of Caturra. These coffee trees demonstrate improved productivity, larger fruits, and strong rain resistance. Venecia coffee trees take three years to begin bearing fruit. The beans are medium to large in size with hard pits. The coffee beans require significant nutrients during their growth process and are generally grown in plantations at altitudes above 1,200 meters, with annual production being relatively small.

The discovery and cultivation history of the Venecia coffee variety is actually quite short. iCAFE began researching and selecting this coffee variety in the Turrialba, Coto Brus, and Perez Zeledon regions of Costa Rica in 1991. After years of comparison, it was found that Venecia from the Perez Zeledon region had richer flavors, better yield, and superior disease and pest resistance. Through cupping Venecia coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee found that compared to Caturra and Catuai coffee beans from the same region of Costa Rica, Venecia exhibits more complex flavors, aromatic fragrance, high acidity, and a rich body.

Diamond Series

The concept of the Diamond Series comes from the highest grade of wine. This team primarily collects high-quality micro-batches (micro-regional selections) from various Costa Rican coffee farmers, then organizes cupping sessions for each micro-batch of coffee beans, selecting the batches with the most outstanding flavors as the premium series among coffee micro-batches.

Black Honey Processing

Honey Negro/Black Honey

The Costa Rica Diamond Series that FrontStreet Coffee acquired uses the black honey processing method. First, after sorting, the coffee cherries are placed in a coffee pulping machine for pulping, preserving the complete mucilage layer. The difference between black honey processing and other honey processing methods is that black honey processing preserves the complete mucilage with the aim of allowing the sugars in the mucilage to fully transfer to the coffee beans, thus requiring a longer drying time.

Because of the extended drying time, it's not suitable to dry the coffee beans in direct sunlight. Instead, they must be placed in a cool, ventilated area for slow drying. The drying process typically takes about 18 to 25 days. During this process, constant monitoring is required to avoid over-fermentation and mold issues. This processing method carries a higher risk of losing the freshness of the raw beans. Finally, when the coffee moisture content drops to around 11%, it is bagged and stored in the warehouse until the parchment is removed just before export transportation. FrontStreet Coffee believes that generally, the more mucilage preserved, the richer the final coffee flavor and the higher the sweetness.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Record

Roaster: Yangjia 800N semi-direct fire, roasting amount 480g. Preheat the roaster to 180°C, add beans, adjust heat to 130, open the damper to 3, return to temperature point at 1'36", maintain heat; at 118°C, keep heat unchanged, open damper to 3.5, at 145°C, reduce heat to 110, damper unchanged. At 5'45", beans turn yellow, grassy smell disappears, entering dehydration stage. At 173°C, reduce heat to 80, open damper to 4.

At 8'35", dehydration complete, wrinkles and black markings appear on bean surface, toasted bread smell turns to coffee aroma, preluding first crack. Pay attention to the sound of first crack. At 9'25", first crack begins, open damper fully to 5, reduce heat to 50. Development time after first crack: 1'50", drop beans at 197.4°C.

FrontStreet Coffee Cupping Report

Dry Aroma: Fermented aroma
Wet Aroma: Nuts, fermented aroma
Flavor: Nuts, fermented wine aroma, cream, caramel, citrus

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Tips

Dripper: Hario 01
Coffee Dose: 15g
Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15
Water Temperature: 91°C
Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (78% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee's segmented extraction method: First, use 30g of water to fully saturate the coffee bed into a "hamburger" shape and bloom for 30s, then proceed with the second extraction stage. In the second stage, at 57s on the timer, inject water to 125g, then wait until the water level drops to 2/3 of the coffee bed before starting the third stage. In the third stage, at 1'45" on the timer, inject water to 225g, with a total extraction time of 2'01".

Brewing Flavor:

At high temperature, there's citrus acidity and fermented wine aroma. As temperature changes, cream aroma emerges. The aftertaste has caramel sweetness. The mouthfeel is relatively clean and balanced.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925