Costa Rica Tarrazu Las Nubes Black Honey
Coffee Flavor
The flavors of coffee are derived from the breakdown of various nutrients in the green coffee beans during roasting. Heat causes these compounds to degrade into a variety of aromatic molecular structures, resulting in a wide spectrum of flavors. High-quality coffee beans naturally possess a rich aroma that evolves at different temperatures—high, medium, and low—offering a delightful and nuanced experience worth savoring.
Costa Rica Tarrazu Las Nubes Black Honey
Berries, Rose Jam, Apple, Citrus.
Costa Rica Tarrazu Las Nubes is a specialty coffee farm certified in regenerative agriculture, co-managed by Roberto Mata and his grandson Erick Mata. It's located in the Los Santos region, in central Costa Rica, south of the capital city, San José. On this high-altitude land, they personally oversee every step of the coffee production process, including cultivation, washing, drying, and hulling.
Drawing on generations of family farming wisdom, Roberto practices regenerative agriculture by interplanting coffee trees with banana trees, poró trees (a type of Erythrina), and various herbaceous plants. This commitment aims to maintain soil cover and protection year-round, while also creating a richer shade environment for the coffee plants. Crucially, Las Nubes employs entirely manual labor, which significantly reduces soil erosion, enhances the soil's water retention and carbon sequestration capabilities, and further elevates the flavor quality of the coffee beans.
These meticulous farming and ecological management practices result in coffee beans from Las Nubes that boast exceptional flavor complexity, allowing consumers to truly experience a distinctive and finely crafted coffee.
The coffee tree, botanically classified under the Rubiaceae family and the Coffea subgenus, is an evergreen tree. Coffee beans are the seeds of the coffee fruit. There are three main varieties: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. These three varieties cannot crossbreed to produce different subspecies. The world’s specialty coffee comes from the Arabica variety, and within Arabica, there are various subspecies resulting from evolution, hybridization, and mutation.
Arabica Variety - Mejorado
Typica Mejorado offers a sophisticated flavor profile that evolves beautifully from higher to lower temperatures, showcasing distinct layers of floral and fruity notes. Despite its name, Typica Mejorado is not directly related to the Typica varietal. Instead, it's a hybrid of Bourbon and an Ethiopian landrace variety.
This varietal originated in a breeding laboratory in Ecuador and is primarily cultivated there. It is known for its relatively low yield. While its plant structure closely resembles that of Geisha, its sensory profile is similar to Typica, but even richer and more complex.
Typica Mejorado garnered international attention at the 2023 World Barista Championship (WBC), where Hong Kong competitor Dawn Chan used an Ecuadorian Typica Mejorado to secure an impressive fifth place.
(Coffee Processes)
The term "processing methods" refers to the process of transforming ripe red coffee cherries into dried green beans. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages, influenced by the natural environment and the specific needs of the coffee-producing region. As a result, different regions adopt the processing method most suited to their conditions. This batch uses washed processing methods, described below:
【Washed / Wet Processed】
Also known as the wet process, this method involves removing the skin and pulp of the coffee cherries before drying. The seeds are then fermented in water tanks to eliminate the remaining mucilage on their surface, followed by thorough washing and drying under sunlight or with mechanical dryers.
The washed process produces a cleaner and crisper flavor profile compared to the natural process. Coffees processed this way typically have lighter body, brighter acidity, and distinct fruit flavors. This method is often associated with specialty coffee due to its clarity and vibrant flavor expression.
【Pulped Natural / Semi-dry Process】
The honey process is a method that combines elements of both the natural process and the washed process. This technique was initially developed in Costa Rica. Similar to the washed process, the skin and pulp of the coffee cherries are removed, but the fermentation step is skipped. Instead, the mucilage layer (a sticky, sugary layer around the bean) is left intact and dried under sunlight.
The term "honey" does not refer to the addition of actual honey. Rather, it derives from the sticky texture of the mucilage, which resembles honey. The retention of this layer, rich in sugars and acids, is the key to the honey process. The amount of mucilage left on the beans determines the sweetness and flavor complexity.
Yellow Honey (approximately 25% mucilage retained): Shorter exposure to sunlight, resulting in fewer enzymatic reactions in the mucilage layer's sugars.
Red Honey (approximately 50% mucilage retained): Slightly longer exposure to sunlight, leading to slightly more enzymatic reactions in the mucilage layer's sugars.
Black Honey (approximately 80% mucilage retained): Longest exposure to sunlight, resulting in the highest level of enzymatic reactions in the mucilage layer's sugars.
Honey processing creates a unique cup profile between natural and washed processing. It offers a cleaner mouthfeel than natural processing and has a richer syrupy sweetness due to the residual mucilage. It also exhibits more pronounced acidity but is more full-bodied than washed processing.
JUSTIN INTERNATIONAL FOOD ENTERPRISE CO., LTD.
Tel: +886-3-358-6611
1st Floor, No. 30, Lane 120, Daxing Road, Taoyuan District, Taoyuan City
▶This product is covered by a NT$10 million product liability insurance.
▶Food Industry Registration Number: F-165601955-00000-0
▶ Our company’s cupper is certified as a CQI International Coffee Quality Appraiser.
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