Costa Rican Coffee
Costa Rica grows coffee in 8 zones: Brunca, Turrialba, Tres Ríos, Orosi, Tarrazú, the Central and Western Valleys, and Guanacaste, according to ICAFE, the national coffee institute. This shelf lists coffees whose roaster names Costa Rica as the only origin.
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ICAFE says more than 80 percent of the country's coffee area lies between 800 and 1,600 meters above sea level, on fertile volcanic soils. Tarrazú sits in the Los Santos area, where importer Mercanta gives altitudes of 600 to 2,200 meters. Most farmers pick cherries during the day and deliver them that afternoon to a private or cooperative mill.
Costa Rica's mills long produced washed coffee, meaning the fruit is removed before the beans dry. In 2006, two honeyed coffees made with a demucilage machine took first and second place at the national Cosecha de Oro competition, and honey processing spread across the country. In honey processing, the skin is removed and some of the sticky mucilage stays on the bean as it dries. See honey process coffee or Central American coffee.
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Questions about costa rican coffee
What does Costa Rican coffee taste like?
ICAFE, Costa Rica's coffee institute, describes the country's arabica as aromatic and delicate with good flavor. It says altitude mainly affects acidity: coffee from the high volcanic zones above 1,200 meters tends to be stronger, more acidic and more aromatic, while coffee from zones below 1,000 meters is lighter.
Source: icafe.crWhen is coffee harvested in Costa Rica?
Importer Mercanta gives the typical Costa Rican harvest as October to March, with the new crop usually available to buyers from May to July. Turrialba, between the Atlantic slope and the Central Valley, is known for a humid climate and early flowering and harvest.
Source: coffeehunter.comDoes Costa Rica grow robusta coffee?
ICAFE, Costa Rica's national coffee institute, states that all of the country's coffee is arabica, of the Caturra and Catuaí varieties, and that a 1989 law prohibited planting robusta because of its lower cup quality. The institute adds that farmers also stopped growing high-yield Catimors to protect cup quality.
Source: icafe.crWhat do white, yellow, red and black honey mean?
They are names Costa Rican mills use for honey process coffee. Farmers using a demucilage machine can leave on as much of the sticky mucilage as they like, and the color names refer to how much is left on the bean and how the beans dry, in sun or shade and for how long. Exact definitions vary from mill to mill.
Source: coffeehunter.com