Where Does Costa Rican Geisha Flavor Come From?

Costa Rican geisha flavor in this case comes from the Miramonte Estate in the Tarrazu region. The beans are a blend of four varieties, Geisha, ET47, SL28 and Maico, put through a raisin honey process. The cup shows jasmine floral notes, raisin sweetness and a strawberry gummy character, combining an elegant aroma with full-bodied sweetness.

Coffee bean processing shapes that result. Tarrazu sits in a fertile volcanic zone with humid conditions, volcanic soil, steady rainfall, high altitude and forest shade, and the honey process leaves fruit mucilage on the bean during drying, which feeds the raisin and candy-like sweetness. Varietal blending at the estate level is common in the green bean trade, so a single-origin label still covers several varieties.

If you want to taste the Geisha flavor of Costa Rica, Front Street Strawberry Candy Coffee Beans are a Geisha blend worth trying. It comes from the Miramonte Estate in the Tarrazu region and is made from a blend of four varieties—Geisha, ET47, SL28, and Maico—using a raisin honey process, presenting jasmine floral notes, raisin sweetness, and a strawberry gummy-like flavor. This article will comprehensively sort out the source of this bean's flavor, from the estate background, variety stories, and processing method to the roasting curve and brewing parameters, helping you understand why it can combine elegant aroma with full-bodied sweetness.

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If you want to experience the Geisha flavor of Costa Rica, Front Street Strawberry Candy Coffee Beans are a good choice. This bean is made from a blend of Geisha and other varieties, and can be ordered at Front Street stores or the Front Street Taobao shop.

Front Street Geisha Blend is a single-origin coffee bean!

When Front Street previously introduced the Front Street Panama Butterfly Geisha Blend Coffee Beans on its bean list, it discussed the definition of single-origin coffee—it refers to a coffee variety from a single producing region. But single-origin coffees are named in all sorts of ways: some by region, some by variety, some by processing plant, some by estate, and there are also various ingenious names that make one dizzy.

You should know that a region usually cannot grow only one variety, and processing plants also buy beans from nearby coffee farmers, so in the green bean trade stage, blending has actually already been completed. For another example, Ethiopian beans vary in size precisely because the local coffee varieties are rich and are mostly grown and harvested in mixed form. Beans from the same origin and the same estate/cooperative are still defined as single-origin coffee.

Miramonte Estate

Finca Mirazu

Miramonte Estate is located in Costa Rica's specialty coffee Tarrazu region. Tarrazu is located in the fertile volcanic zone of Central America, with a humid climate, fertile volcanic soil, abundant rainfall throughout the year, high altitude, and dense forests providing natural shade, creating superior conditions for coffee growth. Although many estates are located within the Tarrazu region, the differences in microclimate, soil, and varieties of each estate are displayed quite completely. It is precisely these wonders bestowed by nature that attract Front Street to continuously seek different coffee beans from the same producing region for comparison.

Estate owner Esteban Sanches graduated from the Coffee Department of the University of Costa Rica, so he is professionally trained, and he himself is also highly scientific and experimental in spirit. On the one hand, the estate tries growing varieties such as ET47 Ethiopian heirloom and experiments with various processing methods; on the other hand, the small wet-processing machine at the estate's processing plant was designed and assembled entirely by Esteban Sanches himself.

Coffee bean varieties

Geisha, ET47, SL28, Maico

Geisha needs no elaboration; I believe everyone is familiar with this variety. Geisha was first collected from the coffee forests of Ethiopia in the 1930s. In 1953 it was brought to the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Central America, where it was recorded as accession T2722. However, this plant's branches break easily and it was not favored by farmers, so it was not widely planted.

ET47 was introduced by the Costa Rican Coffee Institute in the 1990s and was given to farmers in the Tarrazu region to grow as a research tree for leaf rust resistance. ET47 was numbered 47 in the laboratory because many varieties were introduced at the same time, most of which used numbers for differentiation and identification. After estate owner Esteban Sanche obtained ET47, he began dedicating himself to researching this coffee variety. This variety can be said to be a complex综合体, carrying many excellent flavors, such as fruity sweetness, a round and clean mouthfeel, and elegant and pleasant acidity. As for what the "ancestors" of ET47 are, the Costa Rican Coffee Institute has not published that either.

SL28 According to historical records, a senior coffee official at the Scott Laboratories (A.D. Trench) noticed that a variety growing in Tanzania's Modi area seemed tolerant to drought, disease, and pests. Seeds were collected and brought back to the Scott Laboratories, where its drought resistance was confirmed. In recent years, genetic testing has also confirmed that SL28 belongs to the Bourbon genetic group, so SL28 coffee beans also look close to the Bourbon variety's round and thick shape.

Maico There is currently no official published information about this variety. This Front Street Miramonte Geisha Blend Coffee Bean purchased by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) is composed of 50% Geisha coffee beans and 50% mixed ET47, SL28, and MAICO. The Geisha variety coffee beans provide this Front Street Miramonte coffee with jasmine aroma, while the other varieties give this Front Street Miramonte coffee richer strawberry berry flavors. Through the raisin honey process, the sweetness of this coffee is enhanced.

Coffee bean processing method

Raisin Honey

The raisin honey process is a method that retains 100% mucilage and uses zero water, which increases the difficulty of the honey processing method, requiring strict control of timing. The estate owner first screens the harvested coffee cherries, places the screened coffee cherries on raised beds to dry for at least three days, and then removes the skin. Interestingly, the depulper researched by the estate owner himself is different from others in that it can process two different kinds of beans at once. Because the estate owner devotes his time and energy to researching machines and coffee, nearby farmers call him Doctor Machine and the sun-dried bean expert.

After removing the skin, the mucilage is retained and then dried. At this stage, climate factors are the key to the success of honey processing. During drying, these coffee beans must be turned constantly to make drying uniform, but the frequency of turning must be well controlled, and drying must be slow to ensure the coffee undergoes fermentation processing, but not so slow that over-fermentation occurs. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) found through cupping that the raisin honey process has retained 100% mucilage for sun drying, and the coffee's flavor sweetness is also very high, and it also carries a kind of preserved-fruit fermented sweetness.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) roasting suggestions

Yangjia 800N, bean charge: 480g. Preheat the roaster to 200°C, lower to 175°C for charging, adjust the gas to 120, open the damper to 3, turning point at 1'32", and maintain the gas; at 114°C keep the gas unchanged and open the damper to 4.

At 6'15" it turns yellow, the grassy smell disappears, and it enters the dehydration stage. At 140°C lower the gas to 100 and keep the damper at 4. At 9'00" dehydration is complete, the bean surface develops wrinkles and dark streaks, and the toasted bread smell turns into coffee aroma, which is the prelude to first crack, so at this time pay attention to listening for the sound of first crack. At 10'25" first crack begins, open the damper fully to 5, and keep the gas unchanged. After first crack, develop for 1'30" and drop the beans at 193.5°C.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) cupping report

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) cupping is conducted within 8-24 hours after the coffee beans are roasted, using a 200ml ceramic cupping bowl, a standard cupping spoon made of antistatic metal material, and a cupping water temperature of 94°C. The grind size of the cupped coffee powder is controlled so that the passing rate through a No. 20 standard sieve (0.85 mm) is 70%-75%. The ratio is 1:18.18 (11.1 grams of coffee powder plus 200 milliliters of hot water), so that the extracted concentration falls exactly within the golden cup range of 1.15%-1.35%. First grind and smell the dry aroma, then pour water until the bowl is full. Confirm the wet aroma, then after 4 minutes break the crust and skim, and conduct flavor evaluation.

Dry aroma: floral

Wet aroma: dried fruit, berries

Flavor: raisin, berries, nuts, cream

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) brewing notes

Dripper: Hario V60 01

Dose: 15g

Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15

Water temperature: 90°C

Grind size: medium-fine grind ((80% passing rate through China standard No. 20 sieve)

Front Street brewing method: First rinse the filter paper and preheat the dripper and coffee pot. Use 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour in a slow circular stream until 125 grams for a stage break. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring until 225 grams and stop pouring. When the water level is about to expose the coffee bed again, remove the dripper, (timing starts from the beginning of the bloom) with an extraction time of 2'01".

Brewed flavor: jasmine aroma, raisin sweetness and strawberry gummy sweetness on the palate, and a nutty creamy mouthfeel.

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