Costa Rica - Tres Finca Naranjo
Process - Honey
Varietal - Caturra, Castillo
Our second Costa Rican of the season and our first time working with the amazing Naranjo Co-operative.
As the name suggests this is a story of three small farms working together with the co-operative to achieve great results. The coffee is a micro-lot comprising a field blend of Catuaí and Caturra varietals from the farms of El Tanque, El Sol Del Este and Don Chano.
We kept returning to this particular lot on the cupping table, it’s simply delicious and well balanced - we’re very excited to share it with you.
We love this coffee for it’s easy going qualities and well rounded character.
Apple, chocolate, hazelnut.The cherries are picked at their ripest stage and then delivered to the processing mill to be carefully sorted; the fruits are floated in order to select only the best cherries. The crop is then dried naturally and turned regularly on raised beds for around 18 days.
The three estates together produce around 550 fanegas annually, which equates to 250 bags of 69 kg each after washing, packed into a container for export.
The farms emphasise shade growth, especially given current climatic challenges. All fertilisers used are approved by the Costa Rican Ministry of Agriculture, and there is a strong trend towards using microorganisms and natural soil and foliar amendments to maintain soil excellence.
Co-op Naranjo provides ongoing complimentary support to the associated producers, who also follow a schedule of agricultural activities to monitor costs and production activities.
The coffee processing follows specific steps: from the pulp removal and first parchment separation to sun drying on African beds for 12 to 20 days depending on the weather. When the ideal humidity level is near, lab tests are conducted for moisture, density, and cup. Once passed, the coffee is bagged and stored.
Micro lots are stored as parchment in nylon sacks in silo 11 for 2 to 4 months before being dispatched. They face numerous challenges, including climate change, disease, coffee price instability, and macro and microeconomic factors.