About This Coffee
This coffee is cultivated at Finca La Calicha, in the beautiful region of Pérez Zeledón and processed at the Alvarado family's micromill, Corazon de Jesus. Established in 2015, Corazon de Jesus was founded with a clear vision: to showcase the beauty of Pérez Zeledón's terroir through exceptional coffee. That dedication has been rewarded with remarkable success - 3rd place in the 2022 Cup of Excellence and 2nd place in 2024. Most recently, they earned 1st place in 2025, winning top honors across all three processing categories: washed, honey and natural. These well-deserved achievements are a testament to the family's technical excellence and enduring passion for coffee.
Processed using the Alvarado family's Double Anaerobic method, this experimental lot reflects both optimal cultivation conditions and meticulous post-harvest processing. The result is a rich, layered and sophisticated cup, offering pronounced sugary sweetness, balanced acidity, along with a smooth, comforting finish.
Cultivation
Coffee cultivation in Pérez Zeledón dates back to the late 19th century, when the first settlers migrated from Costa Rica's Central Valley and transformed the region into a thriving coffee-producing hub. Today, Pérez Zeledón is home to an estimated 12,000 hectares of coffee cultivation across more than 4,200 farms, making coffee a vital part of the local economy.
Farmers in the region benefit from a diverse range of microclimates, with elevations spanning 800 to 1,700 meters above sea level and an average temperature of 22°C. Combined with nutrient-rich soils and cool mountain conditions, these factors produce coffees with distinctive and exceptional cup profiles.
This lot consists of 100% Catigua, a variety known for its compact growth habit and high productivity. Catigua follows a late-ripening cycle, allowing the cherries a longer maturation period to accumulate sugars, resulting in sweet, dense fruit that contributes to sweet and expressive cups.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Developed by the Alvarado Fonseca family, this experimental process uses two sequential anaerobic fermentations separated by a controlled partial dehydration stage. Ripe cherries are selectively handpicked and delivered to the Corazon de Jesus micromill. Upon arrival, the freshly harvested cherries undergo flotation in water tanks to remove lower-density fruits.
Selected cherries are fermented in sealed tanks for 48-hours, allowing native microorganisms to foster complex aromatic precursors. Cherries are then brought to raised beds for partial drying before returning to sealed tanks for another 48-hour fermentation. Operating under reduced moisture, this second phase alters microbial metabolism, greatly enhancing sweetness, mouthfeel and overall complexity without compromising cup clarity. Finally, cherries are shade-drying on raised beds for 30-35 days. Dried cherries are rested in warehouses for approximately two months before being bagged and prepared for export.
Micromills in Costa Rica
Costa Rica's micromill movement transformed the specialty coffee industry by giving producers greater control over quality, traceability and market access. Before the late 1990s, most farmers delivered coffee cherries to large cooperative or private mills, where coffees from many farms were processed and blended together. While efficient, this system made it difficult for exceptional producers to distinguish their coffees or capture the premiums they deserved.
Around the turn of the millennium, a handful of pioneering producers began establishing their own small-scale micromills. By processing coffee on their own farms, they could carefully manage every stage from harvest through drying, while preserving the identity of individual varieties and lots. The model emerged in response to both historically low coffee prices and growing demand from specialty roasters for traceable, high-quality coffees.
Micromills also became centres of innovation for the Costa Rica coffee sector. Producers experimented with processing methods, particularly honey processing, alongside traditional washed and natural coffees, helping establish the country as one of the world's leading origins for processing innovation. Today, the country is home to hundreds of micromills, many of which have built direct relationships with roasters and earned international recognition for exceptional quality.
The rise of micromills fundamentally changed the relationship between producers and the specialty coffee market. By taking ownership of processing, farmers gained greater control over quality, could experiment with processing methods and, importantly, market coffees under their own farm names. This shift helped create the traceability, transparency and distinct lot separation that have become hallmarks of Costa Rican specialty coffee today.
About Catigua
Catigua is a cross between Catuai and Timor that was developed in Minas Gerais, Brazil in 1980. This hearty plant is resistant to Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) and root-knot nematodes.
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.