About This Coffee
Senel Campos inherited Finca La Toboba from his father, who inherited it from his mother (Senel’s grandmother). Senel’s father, Senel Senior, planted the first coffee trees on the farm in 1968 and supported his family through the earnings from his coffee production. Today, Senel and his adult son, Allan, own and manage Finca La Toboba.
The farm is named for a type of snake that is abundant on the farm. While harmless, these snakes are frequently found in the fields during harvest time. Senel and Allan move them gently to the nearby forested land.
In 2016, Senel and Allan expanded their business by building a micromill on the farm. Since farms in Costa Rica tend to be small and land is expensive, most farms send their harvested cherry to a micromill on another farm where their cherry is processed into green beans. This adds uniformity, enhances quality and offers another avenue for income for farms that are able to build and operate their own micromills. Many times, Costa Rican coffee is named according to the micromill rather than by the farm.
Cultivation
In addition to the Caturra and Catuai in this lot, Senel also cultivates Obata, Marsellesa, Villa Sarchi, Sarchimor, Catigua, Hybrid H3, Geisha, SL28, SL14 and SL34.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Ripe, red cherry is selectively handpicked and processed at Finca La Toboba’s micromill. They measure the Brix level (sugar content) of the cherry and ensure it is between 22 and 23 on the Brix measurement. Cherry is floated to remove any underripes and pulped. In this Black Honey process, cherry is pulped but as much of the mucilage is retained as possible. Parchment and all remaining mucilage is laid to dry on raised beds for 48 hours. After this period, parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 25 days for parchment to dry. Once dry, parchment is rested for 2 months before being dry milled and prepared for export.
European Preparation (EP)
EP stands for European Preparation. EP beans are Screen 15+ with a low defect tolerance.
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.