Costa Rica - Anfiteatro

TASTING NOTES

Orange, honey, chocolate

WHY WE LIKE IT

When we tried this Costa Rica, we found it to be a sweet and fruity bomb. It offers a surprising, intense orange note, with a honey-like sweetness and chocolate-like sweetness. It has a finish reminiscent of orange candy: with a soft acidity, juicy, and sweet. Anfiteatro is a delicious and well-rounded coffee; if you drink it alone, its fruity notes will stand out, and if you drink it with milk, it'll be an orange dessert.

HISTORY

The Montero family has been a visionary, a pioneer, and a driving force behind the micro-mill revolution in Tarrazú, Costa Rica. Carlos Montero has been growing coffee his entire life and comes from a long line of farmers. He had a vision to process his own coffee fruit and work more directly with consumers, building Don Eli, named after his father, in 2014. Carlos was also instrumental in encouraging many other coffee farmers in the Tarrazú region to do the same and begin building relationships with roasters. Jacob has taken over the wet mill over the years and honed his passion for processing the fruit. This year, they added a humble dry mill to prepare parchment for export. They are always expanding their knowledge, improving quality, and strengthening their direct relationships.

The Amphitheatre owes its name to the natural shape of the terrain, which resembles the stands of a theatre. Entering the prestigious world ofLa Pastora FarmAnfiteatro, internationally renowned and managed by the Montero family, rises majestically above San Marcos de Tarrazú. Carlos originally grew apple trees on these lands, and the terraces he created have been key to the success of the coffee trees, allowing them to thrive in this unique environment. This agricultural legacy has given rise to the neighboring plot, known asApple orchardThe extraordinary altitude and soil fertility have been key to producing high-quality coffee, although recent climate changes have made cultivation increasingly challenging and unpredictable.

VARIETY AND PROCESS

The variety of this coffee isCatuaí.

The defendant isdouble washThe coffee is taken from the farm to the receiving tank, and the cherries are left to rest for approximately 12 hours. The cherries are then pulped, as in a honey process. Jacob keeps the coffee in a fermentation tank for 30 hours with water. After this, he washes the coffee several times until the mucilage is removed, and then leaves the beans in water for another 12 hours. Jacob dries the coffee on raised beds in the shade for 5 days to protect the beans within the parchment. After these 5 days, the coffee is dried under more direct sunlight until it reaches a moisture content of 10.5%.

RECIPE

For espresso:

We use 17 grams of ground coffee to obtain 45 grams of final beverage in 29 seconds.

VARIABLES TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT:

Rest: 2 weeks (15-20 days)

Temperature: 92.5ºC

LaMarzocco Classic Line

Mill: Mahlkonig E68S

Scoops: VST 17g

Water: Pentair Everpure 70ppm

Pressure: 9 bars

For filter:

We use 20 grams of ground coffee and 320 grams of water at 93°C. We make three pours. We wait 30 seconds for the first 50 grams, then make two 135 gram pours, each lasting a total of 3.5 minutes.

Variables to take into account:

METHOD: V60

MILL: EK43

WATER: 70 ppm