COSTA RICA - Las Lajas

PASSIONFRUIT / WINE / CACAO NIBS

Origin : Sabanilla de Alajuela, Costa Rica

Micromill: Las Lajas

Producer: Oscar and Francisca Chacón

Process : Black Diamond Natural

Varietal : Orange Bourbon

Source : Cafe Imports

Roast : Omni

RECIPE :

Filter ~ 15g coffee - 250ml water

Espresso ~ 1:2.75
          dose : 19g
          yield : 52g
          time : 25 seconds 

Black Diamond Natural

What makes this process different from all the rest, is the intentional curing process.  It is still a Natural process, but the drying period takes between 15 to 22 days.  The process is very similar to their other Natural processes: starts with the rigorous harvesting standards, sorting and it's let to dry the superficial humidity for one day on raised beds. Then the beans are moved from the raised beds to the drying patio.

The drying process takes more attention than the rest of their Naturals.  Since it’s a slow drying process, they need to constantly check on the temperature and movement of the beans so they don’t get heated.  What they’re aiming for with this process is slow dehydration, slower than usual, not allowing the temperature to rise abruptly, and everything under control measures.  Oscar explained that the concept comes from the process of drying coffee seeds for nursery, slowly drying them without compromising the embryo; a passive drying process. 

With this process, they don’t want to harm the beans with high temperatures rather than allow the sugars of the mucilage to cold crystalize.  They look to obtain a sweeter, more clear, and bright coffees with the Diamond process.

More on the Producers

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 to quality and innovation, and are among the very first farmers in Costa Rica to produce Honey and Natural process specialty coffee.

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 Cafe Imports' founder Andrew Miller, and the rest is both history and our-story.

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Recommended for all filter brewing methods & espresso. 

Best enjoyed black but we don't like to get too wanky about it so if you're a milky kinda person, don't be afraid to throw some in! The best way to have coffee is the way you enjoy it!