Costa Rica Yellow Honey Processed Roasted Coffee Beans - San Juan Yö Estate Villasarc Variety

Product Information

Product Name: FrontStreet Coffee · Costa Rica San Juanillo Estate Villa Sarchi Yellow Honey Process Coffee

Country: Costa Rica

Grade: SHB

Region: Central Valley

Altitude: Average 1,600 meters

Processing Method: Yellow Honey Process (30% pulp retained)

Variety: Villa Sarchi

Estate: Finca San Juanillo

FrontStreet Coffee Flavor Profile: Brown sugar, floral notes, almond, black tea, orange and sweet spice, mild acidity, syrupy mouthfeel.

Costa Rica Coffee Heritage

Coffee cultivation in Costa Rica began in 1779 with plants introduced from Cuba, and the first export followed in 1820. Today there are roughly 32,000 coffee farmers, with an average cultivated area of less than one hectare (10,000 m²) each. Costa Rica has a population of 4.1 million (2006), with coffee covering 82,500 hectares and producing 1.7 million bags a year (60 kg per bag). Domestic consumption reaches 380,000 bags annually, an average of 5.5 kg per person, higher than Japan's 4 kg and well above Taiwan's current average of just over 1 kg.

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to cultivate coffee, and it has both a long history and a complete system from production to sales. Sitting on the Central American isthmus with its many volcanoes, the country enjoys natural advantages in sunlight and soil. Pacific and Atlantic currents and sea breezes moderate the climate, producing coffees with distinctive local microclimate terroir. In both quality and quantity, Costa Rican coffee has consistently earned global recognition and ranks among the world's finest. With two hundred years of coffee growing behind it, coffee was first planted on the slopes of the Poas and Barva volcanoes in what is now the Central Valley. The seven main coffee regions stretch from northwest to southeast along the inland Central Plateau.

Costa Rica's volcanic terrain provides fertile volcanic ash, mild and suitable temperatures, and stable, abundant rainfall, all of which have helped make coffee one of the country's main agricultural products. The seven producing regions are Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Central Valley, West Valley, Turrialba, and Brunca.

Although Costa Rica has a long history of coffee growing, over the past decade or so the innovative "dry" method has become the trend. Collectively known as "honey processing," this approach uses pulping machines to control how much pulp is removed, producing honey sensations that range from light to intense (white, yellow-red-white, and yellow-red-black colors), each with different acidity, aroma complexity, and body depth, and each with its own merits. The Herbazu processing plant, in the Naranjo area of the West Valley region, is highly renowned here. In addition to its own plantations, it processes and produces green beans for nearby estates and small farmers.

San Juanillo Estate Details

Finca San Juanillo cultivates varieties including Villa Sarchi, Caturra, Catuai, and Bourbon at an average altitude of 1,600 meters. This micro-lot of FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica beans is processed by the well-known Herbazu plant using its excellent techniques. Judging by appearance, the beans are full-bodied with an aromatic fragrance and excellent balance, carrying almond and floral notes.

Costa Rican coffee has always been considered a classic profile of perfect type: balanced, clean, and mild are its foundations. This batch, from the Herbazu plant in the West Valley at San Juanillo Estate, comes from the famous Naranjo region, known for excellent natural conditions and superior regional cultivation management. It presents a nearly perfect classic flavor, with lively citrus notes in the acidity, blackberry fruit aromas, rich acidity and body, melon-like sweetness and a smooth mouthfeel, drupe fruit and light floral notes, and a remarkable coffee flower fragrance in the aftertaste, a coffee full of Latin countryside charm. Its flavor characteristics include brown sugar, floral notes, almond, black tea, orange and sweet spice, mild acidity, syrupy mouthfeel, and an excellent finish.

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations: 90°C/15g coffee/1:15 ratio/segmented extraction/2 minutes

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a deeper expression of Costa Rica's honey processing, FrontStreet Coffee recommends the Costa Rica Blackberry, which uses a distinctive black honey method. Black honey removes almost none of the mucilage, so drying takes longer, lasting at least 2 weeks. Covers are used to keep the sun from drying the beans too quickly, allowing the sugars to convert more fully, and the cherries are turned at intervals so uneven heat does not cause over-fermentation. The method demands more effort than other honey styles.

FrontStreet Coffee gives this black-honey Costa Rica a medium-light roast. Ground, it releases a rich floral aroma, and in the cup it carries the distinctive flavors of grape, berry, and ripe blackberry.