Costa Rica Jaguar Honey – honey processed green coffee (1 kg)

Origin: Tarrazú, San José
Producer: Small farmers with an average of 3 ha of cultivation
Altitude: 1 600-1 900 m
Varieties: Catuai, Caturra
Process: Honey processed
Harvested: 2024/2025

This is specialty coffee at its best – honey-processed from the heart of coffee country Costa Rica. Tarrazú, located in the mountains south of San José, is one of the country’s most prestigious growing areas, with high altitudes, nutrient-rich soils and a stable climate that allows for long, even ripening. Behind this lot are small-scale farmers, each with an average of three hectares of cultivation, who take their berries to Beneficio San Diego – one of the region’s best-known and most technically proficient washing stations – after harvesting. It is precisely the combination of high-altitude beans and a station with complete control over post-harvest processing that allows a lot like this to reach its full potential.

Honey processing involves removing the fruit skin but leaving some of the sweet mucilage to dry into the bean. The result, as the name suggests, is a sweeter and richer coffee than if the beans were conventionally washed. The method gets its name from the fact that the drying beans appear to have been soaked in honey. It requires experience and careful monitoring – drying too quickly or unevenly risks both quality and purity – but at Beneficio San Diego the work is done with great precision. The raw coffee has good density and an unusually high roast flexibility: all roast degrees work well, making Jaguar Honey a grateful batch whether you aim for filter, pourover, press pot, moka or espresso.

In the cup, this is a creamy, caramelized coffee with brown sugar peeking out from behind a soft nuttiness and a smooth chocolate nuance. The honey process gives a clear, round sweetness and a full, almost syrupy mouthfeel, while the finish is long and balanced. A versatile and genuinely enjoyable green coffee for the home roaster who wants to explore the honey-processed Tarrazú style in all its breadth – from light filter roast to dark, creamy espresso.

This green coffee arrived at the roastery on October 6, 2025 and is from the 2024/2025 harvest.