Origin Story
This lot comes to us from the Robelo family in Turrialba, Costa Rica. Over 900 hectares of the land is in production, making Aquiares one of the largest estates in Costa Rica. For over a century, the farm has developed an enduring model for growing high-quality coffee, protecting the stunning natural setting, and supporting a thriving local community of 1,800 people. Coffee plots here are protected by large preserved forests, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants
Established by British farmers in 1890, Aquiares was one of the first estates to produce and export Costa Rican coffee. In 1971, the farm was purchased by its current owners - three families who have worked together with the community to implement a model of sustainable agriculture.
Today, the farm manages the entire coffee production chain, from seedling production to plant cultivation, harvesting and milling. This ensures that they are able to meet the highest standards of quality assurance and guarantee a traceable product.
Processing
This lot is 100% ‘Esperanza’ variety. Aquiares has found this varietal well-suited to the farm’s high elevation (grown above 1,200 meters in most cases) and as consistently yielding a quality cup.
Microlots, such as this one, are picked by a special team of skilled harvesters who are paid well above the daily rate for their exceptional skill in picking the ripest cherries at each pass. Each tree is visited up to seven times during the harvest to ensure that only fully red ripe cherries are picked.
After the cherries are picked, they move into the wet mill. Washed lots are floated for density (with all floaters being removed) before being pulped using the mill’s Penagos DCV 306 pulper to remove the fruit. Next, the coffee is pulped again using a "Penagos Delva" to remove the mucilage. Pre-drying is completed in a "Centriflux" machine to remove any excess water. The coffee is then dried for around 32 hours at a low, constant temperature of approximately 45˚C - 55˚C in mechanical driers (Gaurdiolas).
Finally, the coffee is rested for a month in large silos to allow humidity and aromas to settle. Then, the beans return to the dry mill where the parchment is removed and the beans are sorted by size, weight, density and colour before they are bagged for export.
