Introduction:The Canet Estate in Costa Rica’s Tarrazú region has launched a series of specialty coffees named after musicians. Among them, “Beethoven” is made from the Catuaí variety using traditional washed processing, with a medium-light roast that highlights vibrant acidity and sweetness of red berries and citrus. This article delves into the microclimate advantages of the region, the characteristics of the Catuaí variety, details of the washed process, and provides practical pour over parameters and flavor profiles to help coffee enthusiasts master the brewing techniques for this clean, bright, and elegantly layered specialty bean.
Among the many specialty coffees in Costa Rica, the “Beethoven” washed beans from the Canet Estate in the Tarrazú region stand out with their unique musician-inspired naming and refreshing, bright flavor profile, making them a favorite among many pour over enthusiasts. This medium-light roasted coffee, made from the Catuaí variety and processed with traditional washed methods, showcases lively acidity with notes of red berries and citrus, and a finish that carries delicate floral and almond aromas—ideal for those seeking distinct layers and a clean cup.
Located in the narrow Central American terrain, Costa Rica borders Panama, the renowned home of Geisha, and is influenced by both Pacific and Atlantic air currents, creating a diverse yet stable microclimate. The country’s numerous volcanoes provide mineral-rich, fertile soil, enhanced by highly draining volcanic ash, allowing coffee cherries to develop abundant flavor compounds. Notably, Costa Rican law strictly mandates the cultivation of only Arabica varieties, prohibiting Robusta, ensuring a consistently high national standard for coffee quality.
The country’s coffee-growing regions are primarily concentrated in a central narrow belt, with five core areas: Central Valley, Tres Ríos, West Valley, Tarrazú, and Brunca. Among these, Tarrazú, with its altitude ranging from 1200 to 1700 meters, has become an important origin for specialty coffee. The cool climate combined with volcanic soil imparts a rich body and pronounced acidity to the coffee. In recent years, local producers have continuously innovated processing techniques, earning Tarrazú coffee an excellent reputation in the international market.
The main coffee varieties cultivated in Costa Rica include Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuaí. The Beethoven coffee beans are made from the Catuaí variety, which is a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo. It combines the high yield, strong disease resistance, and excellent cup quality of Mundo Novo with the compact plant structure, bright acidity, and suitability for natural processing of Caturra. Catuaí coffee beans are typically oval and flat with a long, pointed end, often exhibiting gentle acidity, a clean cup, and rich fruity aromas—making it an ideal choice for producing high-quality washed beans.
The Canet Estate is family-run by three brothers with over a decade of coffee-growing experience. In addition to coffee, the estate also cultivates various tropical fruits, including passion fruit. The estate has its own small-scale washed processing facility (Beneficio). Every December, when the coffee cherries ripen, the estate owner personally oversees the harvesting and processing. Passionate about classical music, the owner has named their coffee beans after musicians such as Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, and Chopin, using musical culture to enhance product recognition. This naming approach not only adds storytelling to the brand but also makes it easier for consumers to remember the unique character of each coffee.
The Beethoven coffee beans are the only offering in the Canet Estate’s musician series that uses traditional washed processing, fully preserving the original aromatic characteristics of the beans. The washed process includes: first removing the outer skin and part of the fruit pulp using a pulper; then fermenting the parchment-covered beans with mucilage in water for 18 to 36 hours—an essential step for removing residual mucilage; after fermentation, thoroughly washing the parchment coffee using flowing water channels to ensure no fruit residue remains; finally, drying the beans on patios to around 12% moisture content and removing the final layer of parchment. The team notes that washed processing delivers a cleaner taste and more pronounced acidity, particularly well-suited to highlighting bright citrus and berry notes.
In terms of roasting strategy, to highlight the fruity acidity and floral characteristics of the Catuaí variety, the Beethoven coffee beans are roasted to a medium-light level. During cupping, one can clearly perceive a balanced acidity and sweetness of red berries, along with the lively acidity typical of citrus fruits. As the temperature drops, the juiciness of the berries gradually unfolds, with the finish offering delicate almond aromas, completing the overall flavor profile.
For pour over brewing, it is recommended to use a V60 dripper with the following parameters: water temperature set to 91°C, coffee dose of 15 grams, a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, and a grind size adjusted to approximately 80% extraction through a standard 20-mesh sieve. The actual brewing can follow a three-pour method: the first pour of 30 grams of water for a 30-second bloom; followed by pouring 95 grams of water (totaling about 125 grams) within about 1 minute; then, when the water level drops to two-thirds of the coffee bed, pour the remaining 100 grams of water (totaling about 225 grams), completing the pouring process in approximately 1 minute and 35 seconds. The total drip time is controlled to around 2 minutes and 10 seconds, and the brew is complete once the dripper is removed.
The brewed Beethoven coffee exhibits a clean and bright flavor profile, with an initial burst of lively acidity and sweetness reminiscent of strawberry juice, and citrus notes that dance like lively notes in the mouth. As the temperature changes, the layers of berry flavors gradually unfold, and the finish is capped with delicate floral and almond aromas, delivering a tasting experience akin to listening to a refined classical symphony. Through precise control of washed processing, medium-light roasting, and appropriate pour over parameters, this musician series coffee from Costa Rica’s Tarrazú region offers coffee enthusiasts a delightful balance of refreshing acidity and elegant aftertaste.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
