TECHNICAL DETAILS
Origin: Costa Rica, Los Robles, West Valley (exactly here)
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1,550 masl
Varietal: San Roque
Producer: Aguilera Brothers
Harvest: 2023
Taste notes: plum jam, cranberries, toffee
WHY DO WE LIKE IT?
We bring you a coffee that stands out for its sweet taste: we find marmalade and caramel. The fruity notes of this Costa Rica are the star from the first sip. This cup is a perfect combination of flavours to enjoy on its own or as a latte.
RECIPE
For filter:
We use 20 grams of ground coffee and 320 grams of final water at 93C. We make three pours. The first one of 50 grams, we wait 30 seconds and we make two pours of 135 grams in a total time of 3 and a half minutes.
Variables to be taken into account:
1. METHOD: V60
2. GRINDER: EK43
3. WATER: 70 ppm
STORY BEHIND THIS COFFEE
If you've ever started exploring coffee production in Costa Rica, Aguilera's name is certainly one of the first to pop up in your search. Not only were they part of the first group of micromill pioneers in the entire country, but their top-quality batches have been praised for years by world-renowned roasters, traders and baristas. There is really no secret to their success, except for family tradition, extremely hard work and an unwavering passion for what they do and for the quality they are able to improve every harvest.
Like many Costa Rican families, especially in this area, their grandparents were involved in coffee production and played a small part in the country's development as a quality producer. Eventually, the family was able to acquire some farmland at the base of the mountains surrounding their village of Los Robles, at an altitude of 1,300-1,500 metres. At the time, it was considered absurd to plant coffee in this area, as the climate was too cold and extreme to allow for a thriving plantation. However, the grandparents' son, Edgar the father, had the vision to grow coffee on the land with a newly found variety, nicknamed Villa Sarchi, from the nearby town of Sarchi, which was becoming very popular to plant in the area, as it grew quickly, produced high yields and gave a good quality cup.
VARIETY AND PROCESS
The variety of this coffee is San Roque. This variety was probably a natural mutation of what was believed to be the SL-28 variety in Costa Rica.
The process is natural. In this process, producer Aguilera Brothers make sure to start with a careful selection of the fruit. The coffee is put to dry on a football field, characteristic of this producer. The cherries are stacked on mesh tarps and are not moved frequently until after two or three days of drying. They are then spread out and moved frequently. The drying process takes 3 to 4 weeks, depending on the weather.
