TECHNICAL DETAILS
Origin: Costa Rica, Los Santos, San Marcos ( exactly here )
Process: Semi-washed
Altitude: 1,650 meters above sea level
Varietal: Catuai
Producer: Rio Jorco
Harvest: 2024
Tasting notes: Apricot, milk chocolate, nuts, toffee
WHY WE LIKE IT
This coffee stands out for its sweetness and juiciness: it's like taking a bite of a perfectly ripe apricot. It has notes of yellow stone fruits and nuts, accompanied by milk chocolate. It has a silky body and juicy acidity, and a sweet finish reminiscent of toffee. If you drink it straight, its fruity notes will stand out more, and if you drink it with milk, its chocolatey sweetness will be accentuated.
RECIPE
You can prepare it in your Italian coffee maker or if you have an espresso machine:
It uses 17 grams of ground coffee to extract 42 grams of total beverage in 25 seconds.
VARIABLES TO CONSIDER:
Rest: 2 weeks (15-20 days)
Temperature: 92.5ºC
LaMarzocco Linea Classic
Grinder: Mahlkonig E68S
Portafilters: VST 17g
Water: Pentair Everpure 70ppm
Pressure: 7 bars
For filter:
We use 20 grams of ground coffee and 320 grams of final water at 93C. We make three pours. The first one is 50 gr, we wait 30 seconds and we make two pours of 135 grams in a total time of 3 and a half minutes.
Variables to take into account:
- METHOD: V60
- MILL: EK43
- WATER: 70 ppm
HISTORY
Rio Jorco is a true phoenix story. The farm and mill have a long history of producing one of the most consistent, representative and accessible coffees in Tarrazú, Costa Rica. After many, many years of making a name for themselves and setting a high standard for coffee production in the area, their management began to have financial problems due to poor decision making. The project reached such a point that they had to sell Rio Jorco. Recently, Carlos Castro, a farmer and philanthropist, acquired the project to support the surrounding community. Since Carlos' family took over the project, it has truly flourished, not only in business, but especially in the plantations and the well-being of the mill. Together, with Carlos' daughter, her husband, Yendry, and his right-hand man, Gerardo, they have turned Rio Jorco around completely and even enhanced its reputation.
Why The Garden?
This name was chosen by the previous owners of this farm, who in 2008 were ranked #20 in the Cup of Excellence . Jardín is one of the main plantations that Rio Jorco has in its growing area, located south of the capital, San José. Situated high in the mountains at 1650 meters above sea level, the farm has rich and fertile soils that offer an excellent base for the cultivation of high quality coffee. This farm has been strategically improved, as it has numerous natural water sources. Its unique climate is also ideal for coffee production, with abundant sunshine in the morning and a combination of cloudiness and rain in the afternoons and evenings.
Farm management is of utmost importance. The family that runs the farm has been renovating it since they took ownership, practicing responsible and environmentally conscious techniques to combat disease and promote healthy plants. They opted for the Catuai variety as it is a well-proven plant: it produces well, is fairly disease resistant, and results in a good quality cup profile. Lobos is a reliable and consistent producer for the mill, located a short truck ride away.
VARIETY AND PROCESS
The variety of this coffee is Catuai.
Rio Jorco is known for its classic semi-washed process, which they have been doing for many years – a traditional approach in the best sense. It all starts with well-trained and reliable workers who pick the cherries at the most optimal point of ripeness possible. Once all the coffee has been picked, measured and paid for, the team transports the cherries to the wet mill for processing.
The next morning, after a light fermentation on the fruit, the cherries are put through a pulper and placed into a large siphon to dry ferment for the remainder of the day. In the evening, the parchment is covered with fresh water and left to ferment under water overnight. The next day, the parchment is vigorously stirred in the water to loosen as much mucilage as possible from the skin. The siphon is then filled again with fresh water, albeit in smaller quantities, for a final rinse to ensure the parchment is completely free of mucilage.
The coffee is then taken to the patios for a pre-drying stage in the sun in a medium-thick layer, moving every couple of hours. Finally, when it reaches a certain level of humidity, the parchment is transferred to mechanical dryers called “guardiolas” to finish the process and achieve an extremely precise final humidity level. Río Jorco also has its own dry processing equipment to prepare the coffee for export, a very important detail and of great quality.
