Producer: Oscar and Francisca Chacón
Region: Sabanilla de Alajuela, Central Valley
Altitude: 1,400-1,600m above sea level
Varietals: Caturra, Catuai
This coffee is a perla negra micro lot from the famous Las Lajas Micromill in Costa Rica. The owners, Oscar and Francisca Chacón, are third-generation coffee producers but the coffee is more than just in their family heritage: It's in their hearts and souls as well. The couple is committed not only to farm in an environmentally and socially responsible way, but also to produce coffee of the highest quality. They are innovative with regards to processing and were one of the early innovators in Costa Rica with regards to perfecting different honey and natural methods of processing.
In 2005, after years of delivering their cherry to a cooperative for the going market price, they decided to join the brand-new "micromill revolution" and buy their own depulper to have more control over the quality and the price they received for their lots. "At first, we didn't know what we were doing," Oscar explains. "We were just experimenting." That experimentation led to some of the most exciting new flavor profiles we have ever tasted: Now, the Chacons produce a wide range of Honey process coffees, modulating the drying time in order to create different effects in the cup.
Necessity bred more innovation for the family when an earthquake in 2008 wiped out electricity and water to their area during the harvest. Unable to run the depulpers or to wash the mucilage off to produce Washed lots, Francisca took inspiration from her knowledge of African coffee production and quickly built raised beds on the property. Their Natural lots caught the attention of the coffee world and the rest is history.
These days, Las Lajas focuses on several variations of both Honey and Natural process. Perla Negra or “Black Pearl” is a process developed by Oscar and Francisca Chacón at Las Lajas. This is a natural process, where the ripe coffee beans with a high percentage of brix degrees are taken to raised beds where they will be laid out in a thin layer to maximise sunlight exposure. After a week the beans will rest in the shade (cold ) to be later transferred to the greenhouse patio to continue its dehydration, in which the cherries are moved twice a day, which makes it an extremely slow drying process. It is then transferred to clean sacks where it is tied off and “rested” for 3 days before being transferred to raised beds and finished as a Natural.
The farm produces 100% Arabica coffee, primarily Caturra and Catuaí varietals, which is grown in the shade of native trees. Organic composts are produced on site using vermiculture (worm composting), and the production process is entirely free of chemicals and agro-toxins.
Costa Rica was the first Central American country to establish coffee as a real bonafide industry, largely as a result of government intervention. It began in the late eighteenth century when arabica coffee beans arrived direct from Ethiopia to be grown in the Meseta Central which had the perfect soil and climate conditions for coffee plantations. The government offered farmers plots of land to anyone who wanted to grow the stuff, and by 1829, Costa Rica's coffee revenue surpassed that of cacao, tobacco and sugar. Things really took off in 1843 when the British captain William le Lacheur Lyon sent a shipment of coffee to the United Kingdom, sparking a wave of British investment in Costa Rican's coffee industry.
These traders, along with Costa Rican's intrepid coffee growers, truly transformed the Costa Rican economy. Being in coffee meant being part of high society, and helped modernise the country. Its revenue went to building railroads, theatres and even sending aspiring intellectuals to Europe for study.
Not that it's been all smooth sailing, as Capt'n Lyon would say. Price fluctuations in the global coffee market have a direct impact on Costa Rica's economy. In 1983, a major blight saw coffee prices plummet 40%. But in 1989, Costa Rica joined Honduras, Guatamala, Nicaragua and El Salvador to establish a Central American coffee retention plan to moderate production and ensure market stability.
Costa Rica's most recent challenge is urban sprawl: as cities have expanded into the countryside, poorer coffee plantation owners have been forced to sell their land. Costa Rica is also currently suffering from the spread of a coffee fungus that could destroy 12% of Costa Rica's coffee in 2013/2014 harvest.
Still, coffee remains Costa Rica's number three export. There are now roughly 78,000 coffee producers, over 100 processing plants, over 100 roasters and 30 exporting companies.
Characteristics of Costa Rican Coffee
Overall, Costa Rican coffee is considered to be some of the best in the world, thanks largely to Costa Rica's growing conditions which make it pretty difficult to go wrong.
Costa Rica is dominated by a high volcanic mountain range in its centre, trailing off down to both the Caribbean and Pacific Coasts. More than 70% of Costa Rica's coffee production comes from these mountains at about 1,000 to 1,700 meters above sea level, where tropical acidity, stable sunlight and rich soil make for ideal coffee growing conditions. The flavour of a specific Costa Rican coffee depends largely on its altitude, with regions grown at higher altitudes generally being regarded as those producing better quality coffee. It also depends on the variety of arabica coffee being grown, with Caturra being highly regarded for its good body, rich flavour and crisp acidity.
There are seven main coffee growing regions is Costa Rica, with Tarrazu and Tres Rios being particularly well-regarded, both producing coffee known for their high acidity, distinct aroma and body (Tres Rios is considered by some to be "the Bordeaux" of Costa Rican coffee).
One of Costa Rica's finest coffees is Monte Crisol, known for its sweetness, silky body and fruity brightness.
Costa Rican Coffee: Interesting Facts and News Bites
