About This Coffee
The Facusse family has owned and operated Finca Tres Milagros for over 50 years. The farm’s operation are vertically integrated and the family oversees all aspects of the production.
The family remains dedicated to producing high-quality lots. They are aided in their efforts by the superb climate conditions and high altitude of 1,550 meters above sea level.
This lot is composed of Villa Sarchi, a variety from Sarchi village in Costa Rica where this natural mutation of a Bourbon coffee variety was first discovered. This variety is most productive at high altitudes with shade trees and regular fertilization.
Cultivation
The farm was initially planted with entirely Bourbon and Catuai variety trees. As their focus on specialty coffee grew, the Facusse family diversified the varieties on the farm. Today, in addition to the Villa Sarchi in this lot, they also cultivate Geisha, Typica, Bourbon and other highly sought-after varieties.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked and processed at Fatima micromill. In order to address the high cost of production in Costa Rica, micromills use innovative processing methods to add value to coffees. As a result, many micromills have gained renown for the coffees they process. Due to this structure, coffees in Costa Rica are frequently named after the micromill where they were processed, rather than the farm where they were grown.
Cherry is floated to remove any under-ripes. Ripe, red cherry is placed in polypropylene bags to lightly ferment for 48 hours. Then, cherry is placed in fermentation tanks and sealed. In these tanks, cherry is fermented anaerobically for 96 hours.
Following fermentation, cherry is moved to raised beds. Cherry is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 20 days for cherry to dry. Once dry, cherry is rested at the farm’s warehouse for 2 to 3 months before being milled and prepared for export at Tesoros del Café in Cartago.
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.