Costa Rica Calle Liles

Tasting Notes: Olive, Blackcurrant, Gooseberry, Nutmeg
Roasting: Medium Light
Processing Method: Black Honey
Variety: San Isidro
Cultivation altitude: 1,400–1,600m
Region: Central Valley
Washing Station: Las Lajas
Producers: Oscar and Francisca Chacón

This coffee is like an exotic dish. You can feel the aroma and umami of well-aged olives, followed by vivid and heavy fruit nuances of blackcurrant reminiscent of blueberries and raisins. After swallowing, the warm yet smooth spice notes of nutmeg leave a long, lingering finish.

This coffee has a good balance of sweetness, and I recommend it to those looking for a coffee that is unfamiliar, exotic, yet highly polished.

Costa Rica is famous for the Honey Process. Among them, 'Black Honey' is a processing method first developed at the Las Lajas farm. The Natural processing method dries the cherries whole, whereas the Washed method dries them after thoroughly washing away the pulp and mucilage. The Chacón couple, who have cultivated coffee for three generations, remove only the pulp from the cherries and dry the coffee, which retains its sweet mucilage, for nearly 15 to 20 days. The deep and rich flavor, reflecting that slow process, is fully captured in a single cup.