A NEW FARM HAS ARRIVED!

Farmer:  Small cooperatives in the central valley providing signature level coffees

Process:  Washed/Honey (see below)

Variety:  Caturra and Catuai

Elevation: 1200-1800 MASL

Region:  Central Valley

Country:  Costa Rica

Harvest:  December – February

Coffee from Costa Rica has evolved tremendously in the past 15 years. This coffee is a true testament to the level of quality available to us along with the amount of work involved in sourcing the best coffee. Café Vida is a coffee only available to our green coffee buyer in Costa Rica, Oxcart Coffee Company. Oxcart Coffee Company is a Costa Rican company that works directly with small farmers all over the country. The coffee they are sourcing for us is from the Central Valley region seen on this map below.

Process: Washed/Honey

This link provides an amazing example of how a washed coffee is processed: https://youtu.be/Az0W61hotLM

The two terms of Washed and Honey together normally don’t coincide however, Costa Rica is a bit different when it comes to processing. Washed coffees from Costa Rica are usually processed using mechanical demucilaging machines (a machine that strips off the skin and flesh of the seed) rather than through a process of depulping, fermenting, & washing. This is due to the fact that the national coffee authority, ICAFE, enforces strict regulations regarding the amount of water that can be used in coffee production. Coffee cherries are typically demucilaged the same day they are harvested, and dried on patios or mechanically. This whole process sounds a bit more like a natural process or even a light honey process where limited or no water is used at all.

Honey Processing has many different levels based on how the coffee is prepared and what the farmer is trying to achieve. Black, Red and Yellow honey processing levels are the most popular (see photo below). This coffee would be considered a yellow honey as almost all of the skin and flesh are removed with just a little remaining.

Region: Central Valley

The Central Valley of Costa Rica is the heart of the country’s coffee industry. The high elevation, consistent weather patterns, frequent rains, and volcanic soil contribute to the wide range of offerings we can source from this region. Producers in the Central Valley often grow traditional hybrids and apply some of Costa Rica’s most forward-thinking processing techniques.

• Elevation: 1200-1800masl
• Harvest: December-February
• Area Planted: 13,327 hectares
• Precipitation: 98 inches
• Average Temperature: 72°F

 Current issues impacting the Costa Rican coffee industry:

• Labor shortage: Harvest, processing, and milling rely on migrant workers from Nicaragua and Panama. Immigration to the US from these countries has been high in recent years.
• The cost of fertilizer: is still very high, but steadily declining from 2022.
• Changing weather patterns: Repercussions include early or delayed cherry maturation, cherry loss, and delayed harvest and processing