Costa Rica Villa Estate Red Honey Process SHB Grade Coffee - How to Brew Honey Process Coffee Beans by Pour-Over?

Origin: Costa Rica Central Valley

Estate: Finca Lote La Casa

Altitude: 1500 meters

Variety: Villa Sarchi

Processing: Red Honey Process

Grade: SHB

Harvest: 2021

Origin Information

Costa Rica, located in Central America, is a renowned coffee-producing nation. What makes it particularly memorable is their innovative "dry processing method," also known as the honey process. This processing method can reduce 90% of water resource pollution and decrease water usage by 95% (compared to traditional washed processing). This approach not only protects the local ecosystem but also highlights the high-quality sweetness of the coffee.

Central Valley

The Central Valley is a continuous valley surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, with relatively flat terrain that accommodates 3/4 of Costa Rica's population. The rich, fertile volcanic soil makes agriculture the foundation of this region.

Temperatures in the Central Valley vary between 15°C and 30°C, mainly due to the orientation towards the mountains (with altitudes also varying between 800m to 1,500m). The western part of the valley is influenced by trade winds during summer, creating an ideal environment for coffee cultivation.

This coffee bean from FrontStreet Coffee comes from Finca Lote La Casa in the Central Valley. The estate's Spanish name "Finca Lote La Casa" means "farm of many houses." Carlos is the owner of this estate, and his family has been operating coffee processing plants since 2000. Later, Carlos wanted to establish his own independent business, so he and his wife now manage five small farms, placing great importance on coffee quality.

Carlos enjoys experimenting with different varieties: he currently grows Gesha, Villalobos, Typica, Villa Sarchi, and SL-28 (he was the first producer in Costa Rica to obtain SL-28, and in recent years he hasn't hoarded this special variety for himself but has distributed seeds to friends and neighbors). Carlos believes that in addition to focusing on coffee processing techniques, greater attention should be paid to coffee varieties.

Coffee Variety

The variety of this bean from FrontStreet Coffee is Villa Sarchi, a natural mutation of Bourbon, featuring a single-gene mutation that causes the plant to become smaller (known as "dwarfism"), similar to Pacas and Caturra. Villa Sarchi was discovered between 1950 and 1960 in the northwestern region of Alajuela Province, Costa Rica, and subsequently underwent pedigree selection locally (selecting individual plants through successive generations). Villa Sarchi has not been widely cultivated outside of Costa Rica, so it's no exaggeration to call Villa Sarchi Costa Rica's unique coffee variety.

Processing Method

This coffee bean adopts the red honey processing method from Finca Lote La Casa. Red honey processing is one type of honey processing. The estate has a dedicated harvesting team of 45 indigenous people from Panama who come to work on the farm during each harvest season. The harvesters focus on cherries, picking only bull-blood-red coffee cherries. Don Carlos and his wife greatly trust the harvesters—they don't even have floating pools in their wet processing tools. Workers and visitors are required to cover or remove their shoes before entering the drying area to avoid dust and dirt contaminating the coffee beans, while the factory's receiving and depulping station is exceptionally clean and tidy, as if brand new.

After harvesting the cherries, depulping is performed. Red honey processing retains 70% of the mucilage layer, which is then placed in a shaded greenhouse for sun-drying for about 12 days. After testing confirms that moisture content and fermentation levels meet standards, the beans are stored in the warehouse.

FrontStreet Coffee Roasting Profile

FrontStreet Coffee's roasters believe that to highlight the sweetness of this red honey-processed coffee bean while ensuring its pleasant acidity, a medium-light roast is employed. Extending the development phase enhances the sweetness of this coffee.

Cupping Flavor Description

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: V60#01

Water Temperature: 90-91°C

Coffee Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-Water Ratio: 1:15

Grind Size: Medium-fine grind (80% pass-through rate on Chinese standard #20 sieve)

Brewing Method: Three-stage extraction. Bloom with 30g of water for 30 seconds. Using a small water stream, pour in a circular motion to 125g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. Extraction time is 2'00" (timing starts from the beginning of blooming).

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473