A glimpse into this years coffees from Costa Rica

Each year I travel to Costa Rica to cup with our exporting partners and visit the farms that we buy from, a trip that this spring resulted in a full container of delicious coffee which just landed in our roastery. Across the next few months we’ll be releasing one coffee after the other, some as filters, some as espressos, and some as components in Red Brick.

IMAG3038 — Never ending samples to evaluate. You can easily go through over 100 coffees in a couple of days, and yes, it leaves your head spinning!

IMAG2938 — Stacks of bags ready to process and export

As well as revisiting old friends, this year we discovered some new gems on the cupping table, and we’re really excited to introduce you to them. While waiting to taste, here are some photos from my trip to show you some of the people we are working with this year!

STA ROSA 1900 Micromill, Finca Macho

IMAG3001 — Efrain “Macho” Naranjo and his son Herbert

IMAG2992 — With steep hills , drying beds are arranged in terraces

IMAG2989_1 (1) — Getting my Macho cuddles in!

IMAG2987 — Santa Rosa mills for the 4 farms in the Naranjo Vargas’ care, Macho, Trapiche, Evangelista and Plaza

IMAG2986 — The Santa Rosa mill was built in 2010

IMAG2985 — This year they built guardiolas to cope with emergency overspills from the beds

IMAG2983 — Rakes sticky with pulp from the honeys

IMAG2981 — Parchment from Finca Plaza drying

LOLA Micromill

On my last day cupping in Costa Rica, Don Danilo Vega came in to test some of his coffee from the Lola mill. We put it on the table with my other evaluation samples, and in a blind cupping, it really stood out. It was great to be able to cup together and make the purchase on the spot!

IMAG3040 — Cupping with Don Danilo and JJ

GRANITOS DE ALTURA DEL ORTIZ Micromill, Finca Ortiz 2000

Granitos is one of my favourite mills in Costa Rica, of course they produce great coffee, but it’s also run by a team of young sisters. It’s wonderful to see the younger generation embracing coffee farming, something many other countries are really struggling with. They are so much fun and so talented, and I love being able to buy their coffee!

IMAG3036 (1) — The ladies running Granitos; Johana, Diana, Joice, (me), DoÃ±a Yorleni, Jocksi and baby Jocksi!

IMAG3034 — A cup of finca Ortiz 1900 in the kitchen with DoÃ±a Yorleni

IMAG3021 — The girls mill for 5 different farms

IMAG3020 — Johana, the head miller and bag designer, and her mum Yorleni

JUANACHUTE Micromill, Finca Higueron

Luis Anastasio Castro Vindas runs the Juanachute mill in San Pablo, a 3 year old mill built to secure the future of coffee production for Anastasio’s children