Don Mayo Estate is located in the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica and has been managed by the Bonilla family since 1994. With its high-altitude terroir and meticulous management, it has won numerous awards in Cup of Excellence competitions. The estate comprises fourteen plots, cultivating varieties such as Geisha and Catuai, and is renowned for its honey processing. This article reviews the estate's development history, plot characteristics, and award-winning journey, and combines two beans sourced by Front Street Coffee—Cedar Plot Red Honey Geisha and Vista Plot Black Honey Catuai—to present their flavor profiles and processing details for coffee enthusiasts' reference. [more…]

The results of the 2024 Cup of Excellence (COE) in Costa Rica were recently officially announced, with the competition once again divided into three main categories by processing method: traditional washed, traditional honey and natural, and experimental processing. In this year's competition, Geisha remained the mainstay among entries, but classic varieties such as Typica and Catuai also appeared on the stage, while a rare variety that has frequently appeared on the COE list in recent years—San Roque—once again drew attention. Since its first appearance at the COE in 2018, this variety has gradually taken root in the Central Valley producing region and repeatedly achieved excellent results, thanks to its unique origins and outstanding cup flavor. This article will guide you through the discovery history of San Roque, its varietal characteristics, and its flavor performance in COE judging, while also including Front Street Coffee's recommendations and interpretation of this variety. [more…]

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to cultivate coffee and is the world's fourteenth-largest coffee producer. With numerous volcanoes and a diverse climate, it offers superior conditions for coffee cultivation. As one of the country's three best-producing regions, the Western Valley region is known for its cool climate and renowned estates, such as Hacienda La Esmeralda (Beautiful Plain Estate), which has repeatedly achieved outstanding results in COE competitions. This article will guide you through the development history of Costa Rican coffee and the evolution of processing methods, and take a deeper look at the terroir and representative estates of the Western Valley region, while retaining Front Street brand recommendations, making it suitable reading for coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to cultivate coffee for commercial value. Its high-altitude mountains, volcanic soil, and abundant rainfall have nurtured many well-known producing regions and estates. Among them, Tarrazu is the country's largest and most renowned coffee-producing region, and in 2019 it even obtained origin certification from the EU and WIPO under the name "Café de Tarrazú." This article will focus on El Cedro estate in the Tarrazu region, introducing its family background, microclimate environment, Geisha cultivation, and its multiple championship performances at the Cup of Excellence (COE), while also outlining the origins and craft evolution of honey processing in Costa Rica, and mentioning the Tarrazu entry-level selection in Front Street Coffee's everyday beans series. [more…]

COE (Cup of Excellence) is one of the most authoritative fine coffee competitions globally, and also the first internet auction platform for globally award-winning coffee, which was organized and founded by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) in [more…]

Although Costa Rica is not a large country, it is a force to be reckoned with on the coffee map of Central America. As the world's fourteenth-largest coffee producer, it has seven regions each with its own terroir, among which Tarrazu is known for its high altitude, ample rainfall, and the nourishment of warm, moist Pacific air currents, and is also a concentration of Cup of Excellence (COE) award-winning estates. At the 2024 COE, Don Cayito won first place with 93.62 points, once again making this family estate the center of attention. This article will guide you through Costa Rica's coffee geography and take a deep dive into the Santa Maria de Dota area of Tarrazu, sorting out Don Cayito's variety structure, family management lineage, and COE track record over the years, while also including Front Street Coffee's recommendation information for this estate, as a reference for coffee lovers when making purchases. [more…]

Tarrazú is Costa Rica's most prestigious coffee-producing region. It not only has the largest output and the highest altitude, but has also repeatedly achieved outstanding results in the Cup of Excellence (COE)—this year, 22 of the 30 award-winning coffees came from here. What makes it so special? From the historical foundation of being among the first to grow coffee in the 18th century, to the microclimate created by surrounding volcanoes and the regulating air currents from two oceans, and then to the grading advantage of 95% Strictly Hard Bean (SHB), Tarrazú combines favorable timing, geographical advantages, and human effort into one. In 2019, the Costa Rican government also specifically applied for protected designation of origin for "Café de Tarrazú." This article will take you deeper into Tarrazú's terroir code, well-known subregions and estates, as well as the flavor performance of Tarrazú currently sold by Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Located in the Western Valley of Costa Rica, Finca Sumava has become a focal point in the specialty coffee scene in recent years, thanks to its Cup of Excellence champion-level micro-lots and its unique black honey processing method. Estate owner Francisco Mena employs a sweet-juice honey processing technique, allowing the Caturra variety to express rich layers of black sugar, floral notes, citrus, and sweet spices amid volcanic soil and high-altitude temperature swings. Front Street Coffee's Costa Rica Finca Sumava Caturra Black Honey Process offers a prominent sweetness on entry, soft fruit acidity, and a lingering finish, making it ideal for pour-over enthusiasts exploring the ultimate sweetness of honey processing. This article provides a complete analysis of this bean's flavor code, from the producing region's background, the estate's story, and the principles of the processing method to green bean analysis, roasting curves, and brewing recommendations. [more…]

Costa Rica is a pioneer of coffee cultivation in Central America and has now ranked as the world's fourteenth-largest coffee producer. Surrounded by volcanoes and with a mild climate, it provides ideal conditions for coffee growing. Among its seven major production regions, Tarrazu is the most famous, drawing attention for its high altitude and outstanding performance in the Cup of Excellence (COE). Located in the Copey de Dota area of Tarrazu, Finca Voo sits at an altitude of 1,960 meters and belongs to Café Solís & Cordero S.A. In recent years, it has repeatedly achieved excellent results in COE competitions. Front Street Coffee will take you deep into the terroir of this highland production region and the story of Finca Voo's rise. [more…]

Many people see the word "COE" on coffee packaging when choosing coffee, but may not be clear about what it actually means. Cup of Excellence (COE for short) is a rating system for specialty coffee that scores and ranks coffees through multiple rounds of rigorous cupping, ultimately awarding the COE title to the most outstanding lots. This system was first introduced in Brazil in 1999 by a group of coffee producers, and subsequently spread gradually to producing countries such as Colombia, Guatemala, Panama, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua. For estates, receiving COE not only means honor, but can also fetch high prices in international online auctions, while boosting the profile and trading volume of the producing region. This article will unfold from three aspects—origin, competition process, and impact—to help coffee lovers understand the meaning and value of COE. [more…]

Panama is a Central American country, bordered by Costa Rica to the west and Colombia to the east. Anyone familiar with single-origin coffee should know that Panamanian coffee is famous in the coffee world for Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha. Thanks to its unique terroir and the growers' meticulous [more…]

Located at the border between Panama and Costa Rica, Hacienda Santa Teresa is a hundred-hectare high-altitude coffee estate. Owner Juan Pablo Berard and his daughter Maria Luisia manage this land together, deliberately preserving twenty-five hectares of primary forest as a habitat for wildlife. The estate cultivates varieties such as Caturra, Catuai, and Geisha, and thanks to the volcanic black soil and the dual climates of the Pacific and Atlantic, it nurtures diverse micro-lot specialty coffees. The estate has repeatedly achieved outstanding results in Panama's annual Cup of Excellence (CoE) competition and was even selected in 2012 by the World Brewers Cup champion. This article will guide you through the estate's geography, cultivation philosophy, the flavor expression of its washed Catuai, and its award-winning records over the years, offering an in-depth look at the charm of this quintessential washed Panamanian coffee. Front Street Coffee also recommends paying attention to this estate's lots. [more…]

The 2024 Nicaragua Cup of Excellence (COE) has concluded, with a sun-dried Geisha from Finca Los Alpes in the Nueva Segovia region winning the championship with a score of 91.1, successfully defending its title. This article will guide you through Nicaragua's coffee-growing environment and the distribution of its main production regions, and take a deeper look at this champion estate that has won the COE for two consecutive years. From the two farms owned by estate owner Olman Balladares, to the planting layout of varieties such as Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, and Geisha, and to the coffee research and quality control team behind them, we will explore the origins of their excellent results. At the same time, Front Street Coffee will also recommend related products for you. [more…]

Costa Rican coffee has always been known for its balanced and mild character, and Front Street Coffee's Costa Rican coffee showcases this classic style: the harmonious blend of acidity, sweetness, and chocolate-like bitterness, with a smooth mouthfeel and little sharpness. The country has seven major coffee-producing regions, among which the Central Valley, Tarrazú, and Tres Ríos are the most well-known. In the 2007 Cup of Excellence competition, Cerro Bado from Tarrazú took first place, while Naranjo in the Central Valley swept second through fourth places. La Minita Estate in Tarrazú is known for its strict management, producing a million pounds a year yet selecting only 290,000 pounds as specialty coffee. In the Tres Ríos region, production has dropped sharply due to urban expansion, but Aquiares Estate has persevered to this day, with a bright and smooth flavor. This article will introduce in detail the characteristics of each producing region and their representative estates. [more…]

The results of the 2024 Nicaragua Cup of Excellence (COE) competition were recently announced, with the Geisha variety continuing its strong performance, sweeping first, third, and fourth places, among which the natural Geisha won the championship with 91.10 points. However, the most eye-catching aspect of this competition was undoubtedly the Parainema variety, which made its first appearance in Nicaragua, winning second place with 89.85 points. This rare variety, which previously won the 2017 Honduras COE, has what kind of genetic origins behind it? Can it break buyers' prejudice against the cup quality of leaf rust-resistant varieties? This article will provide a detailed interpretation of the origins, development, and outstanding performance of Parainema in this competition, while also introducing Front Street Coffee's attention to and recommendation of this variety. [more…]

Many friends who are just getting into coffee have this question: What exactly are "daily drinker" beans? Why are they called that? Simply put, daily drinker beans are small-package coffee beans designed for everyday drinking—light in weight, affordable in price, and diverse in flavor. They help beginners sample the characteristics of different origins at a lower cost while reducing waste from buying the wrong beans. To this end, Front Street Coffee has launched eight daily drinker beans, covering origins such as Ethiopia, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Yunnan China, Indonesia, and Brazil. Each pack is 100 grams and highlights the most recognizable flavors of each origin. Below, we will introduce these eight beans one by one, including their origin information, processing methods, and brewing suggestions, to help coffee lovers make choices based on their taste preferences. [more…]

Costa Rica, as a major coffee-producing country in Central America, is known for its West Valley region, which is famous for its fertile volcanic soil and pleasant climate. Hacienda Blue Volcano is located here, and has not only stood out multiple times in COE competitions, but also won the championship in 2013. This article will guide you through the estate's historical heritage, cultivation philosophy, and rich variety of beans, and recommend related products from Front Street Coffee, making it suitable for every coffee enthusiast to explore in depth. [more…]

Costa Rica, with its unique high-altitude volcanic soil and significant day-night temperature difference, nurtures Arabica coffee that is bright in flavor and outstandingly sweet, with the SHB strictly hard bean from the Tarrazú region being the most representative. Starting from Costa Rica's growing conditions, this article will analyze the reasons behind the formation of strictly hard coffee beans, the concept of hardness, and the key points to note during roasting, and combined with the flavor performance of Front Street Coffee's Costa Rican coffee, help coffee enthusiasts gain a more comprehensive understanding of this high-quality coffee grade. [more…]

Although Costa Rica is not a large country, it occupies an important position on the global coffee map. The country has a coffee-growing history of more than two hundred years and enjoys natural advantages such as fertile volcanic ash soil, mild temperatures, and abundant rainfall, producing a diverse range of coffees from commercial Arabica to COE competition-level, and even Geisha varieties. Traditionally, Costa Rica is divided into seven major regions, and with the development of specialty coffee, micro-regions and small estate lots are constantly being discovered. Brunca, as the newest region, has cultivation altitudes between 800 and 1,200 meters. It was not well known in the past, but after Treasure Estate emerged in the COE competition in 2015, it gradually attracted attention. This article will introduce the cultivation situation and flavor characteristics of the Brunca region. [more…]

For friends who are just getting into specialty coffee, choosing the right everyday bean that is both affordable and consistently good can lower the barrier to entry and help build an accurate understanding of the flavors of major producing regions. Front Street Coffee has selected single-origin beans from six representative producing regions—Ethiopia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Yunnan in China, Indonesia, and Brazil—and listed them in small 100g packages, allowing beginners to compare the flavor differences between regions at low cost. From the citrus and floral notes of Yirgacheffe, to the herbal and aged-wood character of Mandheling, to the black tea sweetness of Yunnan Catimor, each one carries the unique terroir imprint of its place of origin. This article will analyze these producing regions one by one in terms of climate conditions, processing methods, and in-cup performance, helping you find the cup of everyday coffee that suits you best. [more…]