FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Musician Series Bach

Origin: Costa Rica

Region: Tarrazú

Altitude: 1950 meters

Processing Method: Raisin Honey Process

Grade: SHB

Variety: Caturra

Bach's music is intricate and layered, yet always clear and impeccably structured. The same could be said of FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rican Raisin Honey coffee named after him. The dry fragrance carries strawberry, blackberry, and raisin fruit aromas, and the cup releases wave after wave of fruit as it brews. Fresh off the pour, floral and fruit notes dominate; on the palate you get an intense fruit-forward sweetness with a bright tart edge, and subtle wine-like undertones that emerge through the middle and finish, reminiscent of red wine. As the cup cools, candied-fruit sweetness deepens and the wine character grows stronger—even a note of plum wine appears. Each sip feels like stepping inside the elegance and precision of Baroque aesthetics.

Raisin Honey Processing

Raisin honey processing preserves 100% of the mucilage and uses zero water. Of all the honey processes, it is the most demanding in terms of complexity and timing. On harvest day, freshly picked cherries are poured into large water tanks: ripe, dense cherries sink, while underdeveloped or overripe fruit floats to the surface and is skimmed off. The selected cherries are first dried on raised beds for at least three days—only then is the skin removed, with the full layer of mucilage left intact for the remaining drying. During drying the cherries must be turned constantly so they dry evenly. The reward is a noticeably "sweet" style of coffee: a white-wine-like mouthfeel, balanced acidity, and stronger fermentation notes than any other honey process, precisely because so much mucilage is retained.

Honey processing itself evolved from the pulped natural method pioneered in Brazil, where cherries are depulped and then dried. Costa Rica refined the approach, calibrating it by how much mucilage is retained and how long the beans dry—giving rise to the distinct white, yellow, red, and black honey grades. Pushing the idea further, some estates have developed the raisin honey variant, which pre-dries the whole fruit before depulping and is even trickier to execute than black honey, requiring strict control of drying time.

Worth noting: FrontStreet Coffee's Musician Series Mozart, from the 2020 new harvest, features an entirely new variety, H1. Its full name is Centroamericano H1, developed through continued research at Nicaragua's Sebaco laboratory. H1 is a hybrid of Rume Sudan and Sarchimor T-5296; Rume Sudan takes its name from the Rume Valley on the Boma Plateau in Sudan, where it was discovered. The variety delivers excellent cup quality and outstanding flavor but has poor disease resistance—though varieties crossed with it inherit its exceptional flavor genes. The genetically stabilized H1 offers high yield, high quality potential, strong adaptability, and excellent resistance to leaf rust, though it is susceptible to American leaf spot disease. The new-harvest Mozart is also anaerobic honey processed: the skin is removed first, then the beans are sealed in a specially designed metal tank for 48 hours of anaerobic fermentation before sun-drying—a method that further amplifies its signature raisin aroma.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

1. FrontStreet Costa Rica Mozart (Anaerobic Raisin Honey, H1) — The boldest expression of raisin honey processing in the Musician Series. Expect unique osmanthus, pineapple, and raisin aromas whether you brew it as pour-over, cold brew, or in a moka pot. A great pick for drinkers who love intensely fruity, sweetly fermented coffees.

2. FrontStreet Costa Rica Blackberry (Black Honey) — Black honey keeps nearly all the mucilage and dries for at least two weeks under shade cover to ensure the sugars fully convert. Roasted medium-light, it opens with a rich floral fragrance and shows grape, berry, and ripe blackberry flavors in the cup.

3. FrontStreet Strawberry Sugar Geisha Blend — A blend pairing Panama Geisha with raisin-honey-processed Costa Rican coffee: the Geisha supplies its classic orange-blossom honeyed character, while the Costa Rican component adds grape and dried blueberry aromatics, soft fruit acidity, an almond finish, and pronounced sweetness. Ideal for those who want a floral, tea-like cup with dessert-like sweetness.