About This Coffee
This coffee was cultivated at Finca El Salitre by Johnny Alvarado Abarca and processed at his family’s micro-mill, Corazon de Jesus.
The mill was established in 2015 with a dedicated focus on crafting specialty coffees within the micro-region of Perez Zeledón. The evolution of their processing facility over nine harvests is nothing short of remarkable, culminating in their prestigious achievements as the third-place winner in the COE 2022 competition and second-place winner in the COE 2024 competition. Witnessing the Alvarado Fonseca family's commitment to improvement and excellence is truly inspiring.
Complex and very comforting, this Natural lot is characterized by warm hazelnut and sweet milk chocolate.
Cultivation
Pérez Zeledón's irregular topography, abundant rivers and diverse ecosystem provide ideal conditions for producing exceptional coffees.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
After harvesting only the ripe cherries, this coffee enters the floater separation system at the mill to sort out the floaters and rinse out the cherries. Afterward, the cherries are placed in polypropylene bags under the shade for two days. On the third day, they are placed in cement patios for 10 days, where they are piled up and covered at night. During the day, the coffee is moved around 3 times. On day 13 the coffee is placed on raised beds for 15 more days until it reaches a 10.5% humidity.
Coffee in Costa Rica
Thanks to tireless innovations, the sheer number of coffee varieties, extensive technical knowledge and attention to coffee production, Costa Rica is one of the most advanced coffee producing countries in Central America.
The climatic conditions in the country also play a role in the high quality of coffee produced. There are eight coffee regions: Guanacaste, West Valley, Turrialba, Valle Central (Central Valley), Tres Rios, Brunca, Orosi, and Tarrazú, a specific part of Valle Central.
Costa Rica has also become a world leader in traceability and sustainability in coffee production. Ninety percent of the country’s 50,000 coffee farmers are smallholders, and today, many deliver their cherry to boutique micro-mills that often process cherries according to producer specs to retain single-lot or single-farm qualities.
The rise of micro-mill processing, in itself, is a relatively recent development. Prior to the early 2000s it was common for smaller producers to deliver their cherry to cooperative-owned mills. As lucrative specialty markets developed, more and more farmers began establishing mills on their own farms, giving them increased control over processing and more assurance of the ‘traceability story’ so important to the growing market segment. Mills with excess capacity would then offer their services to neighboring farmers, offering a range of processing methods for small lots along with full traceability for roasters and importers. The system has enabled Costa Rica’s small to mid-sized coffee farmers to offer a wide range of differentiated products. Today, specialty lots from Costa Rica are almost as likely to bear the name of the micro-mill where they were processed as that of the producing farm.
The typically uncertain and dry weather patterns in Costa Rica make coffee farming more difficult. Long dry seasons and unpredictable weather patterns have virtually eliminated the possibility of organic farming. Nonetheless, both the government and farmers have taken active steps to protect the environment. Some of these restrictions also inform the processing methods for which Costa Rican coffee has become known.