- Country – Costa Rica
- Region – West Valley, Naranjo
- Farm – Los Cipreses
- Varietal – Caturra, Catuai
- Process – Special Black Honey
- Cup Score – 85
- Altitude – 1700 masl
Tasting Notes:
Baked apple, Valencia orange, blood plum, lime zest, milk chocolate, roasted hazelnut
Farm Overview:
Despite its size, Costa Rica has a diversity of climates that has led to a rich and varied coffee industry. Los Cipreses — two farms and a mill — is located in the West Valley, which is influenced by Pacific weather patterns and is consequently drier than the Central Valley, producing a distinct coffee profile. Max Salazar runs the farms — San Cristóbal (10 ha) and La Isabella (13 ha), named after his parents — alongside his two cousins and his uncle Danilo..
Before 2019, Max and his family delivered their cherries to a neighbouring mill, but in 2020 they decided to process part of their harvest themselves — most of it as honeys — installing a small mill and a greenhouse. During the harvest, 30 additional pickers are hired.
During our coffee partner Falcon's visit, a neighbouring farm was spraying anti-rust chemicals on the coffee, but Max at Los Cipreses prefers not to spray, choosing instead to fight coffee rust with more natural methods — including a robust fertilization plan and planting resistant varieties. He doesn’t use herbicides, and weeds are controlled with mulching.
The honeys lots rest in bags for a few hours before being transferred to African (raised) beds with black honeys turned frequently. It takes 12 days to dry the honey lots.
We hope you like this coffee as much as we do.