COFFEE FROM

Costa Rica

Costa Rican farmers are known for their tendency to experiment with various post harvest processing method and for planting rare and interesting coffees, such as SL-28 and Geisha. We've been buying our Costa Rican coffees direct from the same producers for several years with the help of Selva coffee.

Overview

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to produce coffee for commercial purposes. Beginning its coffee production with plants from Cuba in 1808, Costa Rica has a rich coffee heritage. The country invested its coffee earnings in infrastructure and culture. Despite obstacles such as WWII and a blight in the 1980s, Costa Rica has persevered, now contributing 1% to the global coffee supply. Its farmers are known for their innovative approaches and cultivation of rare coffee species.

Processing Methods

Costa Rican speciality coffee processing tends to focus on natural and honey processing techniques. The natural process (shown in the image on the left), while time-consuming, produces high-quality coffees with complex and distinct fruity notes and uses no water. The honey process, a Costa Rican creation, varies in its approach, producing flavours that span the spectrum between washed and natural coffees.

Some producers, like our friends at Don Eli micro mill, produce small amounts of very good washed coffees using extended dry fermentation.

Flavour Profiles

Depending on the method of processing, Costa Rica coffee can have four different flavours:

Natural process coffees typical showcase juicy fruit and berry notes. There is a wide range from bright, low ferment naturals to big bold, juicy and almost alcohol like fermentation.

Honey processing tends to showcase something in-between washed and natural. Honey processed coffees dried quickly with very little mucilage let on tend to taste more like the washed coffees with those dried slowly more mucilage can showcase more fruit character like some of the naturals.

Anaerobic fermentation is a method of processing that creates very unusual flavours often with spice notes like cinnamon, wine and alcohol. Sometimes these flavours are highly desirable but it's challenging to get the balance right.

Washed coffees are typically well balanced with gentle acidity with nut, chocolate and fruit notes. Stone fruit like peach and apricot are common flavours. Some of the producers we work with (like Carlos Monterro and his family mill Don Eli) produce washed coffees with dry fermentation that have brighter flavours more similar to great African or Colombian washed coffees.

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