How does a Costa Rica geisha coffee blend taste?

A Costa Rica geisha coffee blend from the Mirazu Estate in Tarrazu shows what happens when Geisha meets other varieties. The lot is 50% Geisha with ET47, SL28 and MAICO, grown by owner Esteban Sanches on a small farm whose name means a distant view of Tarrazu. It is processed as raisin honey and roasted medium-light.

Cupping brings out layers of rose, strawberry gummy, raisin and almond, a floral and berry sweetness that the raisin honey process supports. Geisha reached Costa Rica before it became famous through Panama, and this blend coffee offers a more affordable way to taste the variety's character. Front Street also shares brewing parameters and an extraction approach for this bean.

The Geisha variety gained fame because of Panama, but its spread actually began in Costa Rica. This article focuses on the Mirazu Estate in Costa Rica's Tarrazu region, analyzing a Front Street Geisha blend coffee bean composed of multiple varieties: Geisha, ET47, SL28, and MAICO. From the estate's background and variety traceability to the raisin honey processing method, and then to the cupping performance after a medium-light roast, it fully presents its flavor layers of roses, strawberry gummies, raisins, and almonds. It also shares Front Street's brewing parameters and extraction approach for this bean, helping coffee lovers better appreciate its floral and berry sweetness.

When Geisha is mentioned, most people first think of Panama, where the Geisha coffee produced indeed has a flavor performance that is difficult to replicate. In the field of Geisha blends, Front Street Panama Butterfly coffee beans are a familiar option for many enthusiasts, because they allow consumers to experience Geisha's unique character at a relatively affordable price.

Costa Rica borders Panama, and Panama's Geisha variety was also introduced from Costa Rica. After Geisha repeatedly won awards at Panama's BOP competition, Costa Rica also began to pay attention to this variety. Today, Front Street is going to introduce a Front Street Geisha blend coffee bean produced in Costa Rica.

The Front Street Costa Rica Geisha blend selected this time comes from Mirazu Estate. This small estate is located in the Tarrazu region. The estate owner, Esteban Sanches, was originally a family member of the neighboring La Candelilla Estate. Out of his dedication to coffee, he independently founded the estate and named it "Mirazu," meaning "a distant view of Tarrazu." This name not only echoes the magnificent local scenery, but also hints that the estate's microclimate conditions are very suitable for coffee cultivation, laying a good foundation for green bean quality.

Front Street Mirazu Geisha blend, as the name suggests, has a Geisha variety proportion of 50%. In addition to Geisha, this bean also includes ET47, SL28, and MAICO. The Geisha variety is recognized as one of the coffee varieties with the greatest potential. It was first discovered in the Geisha forest in Ethiopia, then sent to the Kenya Coffee Research Institute; in 1936 it was introduced to Uganda and Tanzania, in 1953 it entered Costa Rica, and in the 1970s it spread to Panama, after which it became famous overnight.

ET47 originates from Ethiopian native species and belongs to native Geisha. In Costa Rica, wild Geisha is usually used for hybrid variety research, and the laboratory distinguishes it by the number 47, because many varieties were introduced during the same period and most were marked with numbers. SL28 is a high-quality variety selected by Kenya's Scott Laboratories and carries Bourbon genes.

Although the variety composition of Front Street Costa Rica Geisha blend looks complex, this also reflects Mirazu Estate's capability in traceability and variety classification. After all, traceability levels in some producing areas are limited, and coffee varieties can only be described in general terms.

This Front Street Mirazu Geisha blend uses Costa Rican-style raisin honey processing, that is, retaining 100% mucilage and using a zero-water treatment method. On the day of harvest, the coffee cherries are poured into a large water tank. Ripe, plump fruits sink to the bottom, while underdeveloped or overripe fruits float on the surface, and these floating beans need to be removed. The selected coffee fruits are dried on raised beds for at least three days, then the cherry skin is removed, and the mucilage is retained for continued drying. At this stage, climatic conditions are crucial to the success of honey processing.

During drying, the coffee cherries need to be constantly turned to ensure even drying, but the turning frequency must be handled just right—slow drying is needed to ensure sufficient fermentation, but not so slow that over-fermentation occurs.

After Front Street received this Front Street Mirazu Geisha blend coffee bean, combining its processing method and the characteristics of the Geisha variety, the roaster hoped to present high sweetness as well as Geisha's signature floral aroma and fruity acidity, so a medium-light roast was chosen.

Eight hours after roasting was completed, Front Street cupped this Front Street Mirazu coffee bean. The cupping results showed that this Front Street Costa Rica Mirazu Geisha blend coffee bean had flavor notes of roses, strawberry gummies, raisins, and almonds.

In this Front Street Mirazu Geisha blend, the Geisha variety brings jasmine aroma, while the other varieties enrich berry flavors such as strawberry. Combined with raisin honey processing, this further enhances the sweetness of the entire Front Street Geisha blend coffee. For this reason, Front Street named this coffee bean "Strawberry Candy." When brewing, it is necessary to highlight the floral and berry aromas of this Front Street Costa Rica Geisha blend, as well as the flavors of grapes and strawberries.

Before brewing, Front Street recommends using freshly roasted coffee beans, as this allows you to experience the coffee's rich flavors to the greatest extent. The coffee beans shipped by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are all products within 5 days of the roasting date, because Front Street deeply understands the important impact of freshness on flavor. Front Street's roasting philosophy is "Freshly Roasted Good Coffee," so that every customer who places an order can receive the freshest condition when the coffee arrives. The resting period of coffee is about 4 to 7 days, so when customers receive it, it is exactly at its best flavor stage.

In terms of brewing parameters, Front Street uses 15g of coffee grounds, with a relatively fine grind size, and a No. 20 (850 microns) standard sieve pass rate of about 78-80%. The coffee-to-water ratio is 1:16. A larger coffee-to-water ratio is more suitable for the drinking concentration of this coffee, and in actual sensory terms the aroma rises more easily. After multiple brewing comparisons, using a water temperature of 90-91°C better showcases the aroma and sweetness of this Front Street Mirazu coffee. A V60 dripper is chosen in order to enrich the layering of this coffee.

Steps: Pour 15g of coffee grounds into the dripper, first pour 30g of water and bloom for 30 seconds. Coffee processed with raisin honey absorbs water and expands more easily, releasing the fresh fragrance of berries.

For the second pour, use a small stream of water and pour 120g in a concentric circular motion. At this point, the height of the coffee bed is about at the bottom of the short ribs. When the coffee bed shows a depression, begin the final 90g pour. After all the coffee liquid has dripped into the server, end the extraction. The total time is 1 minute 50 seconds.

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.