What are the characteristics of Costa Rican coffee and how to grade coffee beans

In Central America, also known as the Central American isthmus, it is located in the connecting zone between the North and South American continents, where the topography is dominated by mountains and hills, with basins and valleys. And there is a volcanic zone, fertile volcanic soil is conducive to farming, plus in the tropics, the mountain basin climate is mild, very suitable for coffee and other crops.

Therefore, six of the seven countries in Central America produce coffee and are famous for producing coffee. Costa Rica, for example, is the first country in Central America to grow coffee and bananas for commercial value. Coffee and bananas are the country's main exports.

Coffee first entered Costa Rica through Cuba in the 18th century, when Costa Rica was under Spanish rule and the coffee industry was controlled by Spain. Until the 1820s, when Costa Rica declared its independence, the government distributed coffee seeds free of charge to citizens and implemented a tax-free policy to promote the production of coffee as a cash crop, so the coffee industry developed rapidly in Costa rica. and sold to Europe and the United States.

In the 20th century, Costa Rica became Britain's largest coffee supplier, but due to the outbreak of World War II, Britain stopped importing Costa Rican coffee beans, causing a major blow. And in the 20th century, coffee tree disease swept across Central America, killing more than a million coffee trees, another blow to the Costa Rican coffee industry.

It gradually recovered, but the Costa Rican government realized that only by producing high-quality Arabica beans could it gain a foothold in the market, so it passed a law banning the cultivation of Robusta varieties of coffee.

Coffee can grow in Costa Rica, thanks to Costa Rica's rich natural resources, central Costa Rica is run through the Cordillera Mountains, mostly volcanic, rugged mountains, and separates the east and west sides. Coffee is grown on both sides of the hillside, which has high-altitude mountains, volcanic soil and plenty of sun, making it very suitable for coffee growth.

At present, Costa Rica is divided into eight major coffee producing areas, namely, the Western Valley (West Valley), the Central Valley (Central Valley), the Tarazu (Tarrazu), the Sanshui River (Tres Rios), the European Rossi (Orosi), Bronka (Brunca), Dulialba (Turrialba) and Guanacaster (Guanacaste). These producing areas are all distributed in the central mountains.

Among them, Tarrazu is the largest and best-known producing area in the country, located in the central province of San Jose, originally known as Los Santos, which has a long history of coffee cultivation, including the towns of Tarrazu and Dotta Dotta. However, Tarazu was the first to become famous in the region, and in 2019, the Costa Rican government registered the coffee origin certification of "Caf é de Tarraz ú" with the European Union and the World intellectual property Organization (WIPO), so people are accustomed to dividing the coffee producing areas into major categories by "Tarrazu".

The producing area is close to the Pacific Ocean, affected by the Pacific warm current, has high annual rainfall and mild climate, and is located in volcanic areas. Coffee is grown on hillsides of 1200-1900 meters. Fertile volcanic soil and humid climate provide a unique planting environment for coffee growth.

Costa Rica's grading system is relatively simple, and like most Central American producing areas, the main criteria for classifying crops at altitude are that the higher the altitude and the lower the temperature, the longer it takes for the fresh fruit of coffee to ripen, and the more sugars accumulate. The flavor is richer, and the density and hardness are better. It is generally divided into SHB (coffee beans from 1200 meters above sea level), GHB (coffee beans from 1000 to 1200 meters above sea level from GOOD HARD BEAN) and MHB (coffee beans from 1000 meters above sea level from MEDIUM HARD BEAN).

Qianjie Qianjie coffee rations bean series also includes this well-known producing area. This entry-level selection of Tarazhu coffee beans is made in Catuai and Kaddura varieties, washed with water and grade SHB, boiled with slightly sour, orange, nutty and honey flavors. Qianjie Coffee believes that Costa Rica is the first country in Central America to grow coffee because of its commercial value, and the country pays more attention to the improvement of coffee quality than coffee production, so the country is famous for producing high-quality coffee with soft acidity. With nuts and other flavors, the overall flavor and taste are balanced, very representative of Central American coffee.

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