Costa Rica TarrazuCoffee Bean Intro:

Country:   Costa Rica (Costa Rica)

Region:   Tarrazu (Tarrazu)

Variety:   Catuai, Caturra (Catuai)

Elevation:   1,500 meters

Grade:   SHB

Processing Method: Washed Process

Tarrazu (Tarrazu) in Costa Rica is one of the world’s major coffee-producing regions, known for its clean, mild, and aromatic coffees. The country’s volcanic soils are highly fertile and well-drained. It was the first Central American nation to cultivate coffee and bananas for commercial value. Coffee and bananas are its primary export commodities.

      In 1729, coffee was introduced to Costa Rica from Cuba. Today, its coffee industry is one of the most well-organized in the world, with yields reaching up to 1,700 kilograms per hectare. With a population of only 3.5 million, Costa Rica has as many as 400 million coffee trees, and coffee exports account for 25% of the country’s total exports. The country also benefits from the presence of the Turrialba branch of the Central American Agricultural Research Institute (IAAC), an important international research center located in Tarrazu.

  High-quality Costa Rican coffee is referred to as “Hard Bean,” which can be grown at elevations above 1,500 meters. Altitude has always been a key consideration for coffee growers. The higher the altitude, the better the coffee beans—not only because higher elevation increases acidity, thus enhancing flavor, but also because cooler nighttime temperatures at higher altitudes slow tree growth, resulting in more concentrated flavors.

      Additionally, the abundant rainfall caused by the high-altitude drop is also very beneficial for coffee tree growth. However, while growing coffee at higher elevations has many advantages, the additional transportation costs incurred must be considered, which may make coffee production unprofitable. Costa Rica’s coffee industry has adopted new technologies to improve efficiency, including the use of “electronic eyes” to sort beans and identify irregularly sized ones.

  Tarrazu is located south of the country’s capital, San José (San José), and is one of its most prestigious coffee-growing areas. The coffee known as “La Minita Tarrazu” is a local specialty, but its production is limited to about 72,600 kilograms per year. It is grown on a plot of land called “La Minita,” owned by the British McAlpine family for the past three generations. In fact, this land could produce over 450 tons of coffee annually. However, La Minita Tarrazu coffee is grown without synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, and both harvesting and sorting are done manually to avoid potential damage to the beans caused by air-jet sorting methods.

  Other notable coffees include Juan Vinas (PR), H. Tournon, Windmill (SHB), Monte Bello, and Santa Rosa. Premium coffees are generally grown in Heredia and the Central Valley. Another standout is Sarchi coffee (Sarchi is one of the five towns representing Costa Rica’s “Coffee Route”), grown on the slopes of the Poás Volcano, 53 kilometers from San José. Sarchi was established in 1949 on 30,770 hectares of land used for growing sugarcane and coffee. This region is also known for its handicrafts, attracting tourists from around the world.