Costarica

The Tarrazú region of Costa Rica is located about two hours by car from San José, and is characterized by winding roads and coffee plantations that follow the curves of the mountains. The area is lush with vegetation and is home to a wide variety of tropical birds.

The region has two distinct climatic seasons: the rainy season, which lasts seven months (from May to November) and coincides with the growth period of coffee plants, and the dry season, which goes from December to April. Coffee harvesting takes place over a period of five months, from November to March, in conjunction with the dry season. This well-defined climate model is ideal for coffee cultivation and produces high-quality coffee cherries with uniform maturation, in most cases grown in the shade of other botanical species.

The coffee that we have selected on Caffelab is composed of two botanical varieties that are very common in the region: Caturra, a mutation of the Bourbon variety characterized by a faster maturation and good disease resistance, and Catuai, a highly productive variety derived from Caturra and Mundo Nuovo, a robust and resilient plant to winds and heavy rains.

This coffee is harvested by the women of Cafè Mujeres, an association that promotes and supports gender equality and social equality. Only ripe cherries are delivered to the Cooperativa di Caficultores de Tarrazu, which is responsible for processing.

First, a preliminary selection is made in water tanks where the lighter cherries that float are removed.

The Honey process begins with the depulping, which in the case of this Yellow Honey process removes only 50% of the mucilage from the coffee bean before starting the sun drying phase, which in 8/10 days brings the beans to the right moisture level.

In the cup we find a surprising coffee, well-balanced and with a silky body. The aromatic notes are those of sweet caramel and more fruity notes of raspberries and yellow peaches. The citrus acidity is light and pleasant.

In cupping according to the SCA cupping protocol, this coffee scored 85.5 points.