Costa Rica: An Origin of Micromills

Where Honey Processing Thrives

A small but mighty origin, Costa Rica produces less than 1 percent of the world’s coffee. But in specialty coffee, it’s among the world’s most exciting origins for its game-changing innovations. Because it produces its exceptional coffees in such tiny volumes, it’s where we look for single origins exclusively, rather than blends. 

“Growers there sell their coffees as unique products instead of trying to compete with the larger Latin American origins like Brazil or Colombia,” says Shaun Puklavetz, head of Blue Bottle’s green coffee buying team. “We want to showcase them that way as well.”

We increasingly turn to Costa Rica for its innovative coffees from small producers that operate what have become known as micromills. 

A BRIEF HISTORY: BRIGHT, DEPENDABLE COFFEE

Costa Rica has been growing coffee since the 1700s, when seeds were brought from the Caribbean. Seeing how well the plant grew in its mountains rich with volcanic soil, in 1821, just before independence from Spain, the government distributed coffee seeds to farmers to create a revenue source. For a long time, coffee was the country’s only export, helping fund key infrastructure, including railroads. In the 1930s, the government created Icafe, an organization to conduct coffee agronomy research and experimentation that would otherwise be inaccessible to the country’s smallholder coffee farmers. 

By the mid-twentieth century, most farmers took their coffee cherry to large mills, where it was processed into washed coffee that was bright and dependable, if a bit mild and generic. Then a crash in the commodity coffee price in the 1990s led to a drop-off in coffee production. It became harder and harder for coffee farmers to make a living. 

THE MICROMILL REVOLUTION

In 2000, La Candelilla Estate in the renowned Tarrazú region opened Costa Rica’s first independent mill. By taking control of the process, they realized they could control the quality of the coffee and its final price. They could also work directly with buyers and command premiums to make the processing equipment investment worth it. 

A vanguard of specialty growers soon followed suit, abandoning the commodity market and transforming Costa Rica into an origin renowned for innovation. This evolution has been dubbed “the micromill revolution” by one of our export partners, Francisco Mena of Exclusive Coffees. In addition to processing their own coffee, some of the mills work with other local farmers, processing lots of their coffee cherry separately so it’s completely traceable as its own single origin. 

THE RISE OF HONEY PROCESSING

Micromills have given coffee producers freedom to experiment. They often grow multiple coffee varieties and separate them into different lots. It has also led to the rise of experimental processing, including a method known as honey processing. 

Honey processing is a technique that is somewhat like a cross between natural and washed processing. In natural processing, the beans are dried with the fruit intact. In washed processing, the fruit is fully removed or washed off before drying. For honey processing, producers remove varying degrees of the fruit, leaving behind mucilage that becomes sticky like honey when it dries (hence the name). This method requires much less water than the usual washed coffees but is easier to control than naturals. Still, it’s not without its risks. Only because of the commitment to detail-oriented production in Costa Rica are the honey-processed coffees as outrageously good as they are.

By controlling the amount of fruit that remains on the beans while drying, a farmer also influences the coffee’s final taste. While there is no formal terminology, honey-processed coffees loosely fall into categories, named for how much fruit is left on the seed. The general rule is: The more fruit left, the darker the “honey” and the fruitier the resulting coffee is.  

White: The closest to fully washed coffees, these have the least amount of mucilage and are dried in the sun. They dry quickly and the parchment turns almost white in color. They generally taste cleaner and have the brightest acidity, reminiscent of apples and cherries—and the finest washed coffees.

Yellow: Coffees with about 50 percent mucilage are often called yellow honey. They are dried in medium sun and take about a week to dry. They retain some of the velvety body you see in natural coffees but are a bit less intense than red or black. 

Red: These coffees have most of the mucilage left on the seeds and are dried slowly in the shade. They have more body and “pulpy” fruit qualities than white or yellow. 

Black: The closest to naturals, these beans are dried in the shade with the mucilage intact and can take up to three weeks to dry. They have a syrupy body and deep berry notes. 

In 2006, producer Juan Ramón Alvarado of the Brumas Del Zurquí micromill won first and second place in Costa Rican specialty coffee competition Cosecha de Oro (Golden Harvest) for his honey-processed coffees. His win catapulted honey processing to new heights. In 2008, an earthquake led to a shortage of fresh water, and the popularity of honey processing rose further. 

At Blue Bottle, we appreciate how honey processing is open to interpretation so no two coffees taste alike. We also celebrate anything that conserves vital fresh water. Over the years, we’ve featured several honey-processed coffees, and we’re always seeking out new and delicious examples to share. 

“We love the spectrum Costa Rica offers,” says Puklavetz. “The washed coffees are sweet, balanced and clean, while the honeys offer a huge range of flavors—from jammy and syrupy to articulate and bright.”