Orange, Kombucha and Lingonberry.

Farm: Brumas del Zurqui Micromill
Grower: Juan Ramon Alvarado Rodriguez and family
Region: Heredia, Central Valley
Country: Costa Rica
Processing: Natural
Elevation: 1,400 - 1,800masl
Varieties: Orange Bourbon
Sourced Through: Cafe Imports Australia

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Beneficio Brumas Del Zurqui is a micromill located in the Central Valley region of Costa Rica in the sub-region of Heredia. Neighboring farms deliver cherries to this micromill. Varieties include Villa Sarchi, SL-28, Bourbon, Gesha, Typica, Caturra, and Orange Bourbon.

The mill is managed and run by Juan Ramon Alvarado Rodriguez and his family. They are fourth generation coffee producers and in 2003-2004, they began innovating their processing methods and expanding their processing infrastructure. They have also built out a cupping laboratory and roastery to ensure and maintain quality.

In the past couple years Beneficio Brumas Del Zurqui has had to face labor shortages due to both the pandemic and workers moving on to other countries in search of other employment. However, Juan takes great pride in what he does and is glad to have been able to build a family, generate employment, and provide a positive social and economic impact to his community through coffee. Juan encourages the roasters who buy his coffee to roast with intention and wake up feeling motivated, cheerful, and with a desire to live and have new experiences! He hopes that the values and love of coffee he cultivates on the farm will be carried all the way through the pipeline from seed to cup.   

“I hope to God that I will die a farmer and I hope my son does too” – Juan Ramon Alvarado Rodriguez

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 are able to source form this region. Producers in the Central Valley often grow traditional hybrids and apply some of Costa Rica’s most forward-thinking processing techniques.

Microlot
Microlots from Costa Rica are typically sourced from producers who have invested not only in growing their farms, but also in building and operating their own processing facilities, typically called "micromills." Micromills typically yield fewer than 1,000 bags annually, and are often independently owned by a family or small group of producers. Microlots in Costa Rica are separated out based on differentiated characterizations such as processing, variety, or some other aspect. Microlots carry the highest quality as well as the highest level of traceability.

Process
Natural coffees are typically processed the day they are harvested, and are first sorted for ripeness and quality before being rinsed clean of debris. In many places this initial sorting happens via a float tank: Damaged and defective cherries will float to the top to be removed, while high-quality coffee will sink to the bottom to be cleaned and dried. After sorting, cherries are spread on raised drying beds, table, tarps, or patios, where they will be rotated constantly throughout the course of drying. Drying can take an average of 30–40 days, depending on the weather.
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Light: Gingerbread, golden syrup and blackberries.

Light Decaf roasted at the start of each season.

Medium: Molasses, cocoa powder and marmalade.

50% Monte Cristo Estate
Producer: Medina Family
Region: Veracruz
Country: Honduras
Processing: Fully Washed
Decaffeination: Mountain Water Process
Elevation: 1,050 masl
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai Rojo y Amarillo, Java, Marcelleza, Etiozar, Anacafe 14
Sourced Through: Langdon Coffee Merchants

50% Jairo Arcilla
Producer: Jairo Arcilla
Region: Santa Monica, Quindio
Country: Colombia
Processing: Natural
Decaffeination: Water-Natural Ethyl Acetate Method
Elevation: 1,400masl
Varieties: Pink bourbon
Sourced Through: Cofinet

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About Monte Cristo Estate

Hacienda Monte Cristo Estate is a family-run, coffee-producing farm since 1916 in Western Honduras, very close to the borders of Guatemala. The farm lies in the fertile valleys of the Mayan Mountains. It is 15km from the provincial capital of Santa Rosa de Copan, in the municipality of Veracruz. The Medina family have been running this farm for over five generations!

Coffee here is meticulously grown using environmentally friendly practices and a lot of care is taken during the milling and drying processes. To facilitate this, the farm has increased its solar drying area to accommodate larger volumes while maintaining quality control.

This lot is mechanically pulped, leaving around 4.5% of mucilage (sticky fruit). It is fermented anaerobically, then washed and rinsed. The coffee is then dried on patios for 40 hours, then on elevated beds for 7-15 days, and finally machine dried for 25 hours.

About the Mountain Water Process

This lot was decaffeinated at the Descamex factory in Mexico. Descamex uses processes free of any chemicals. Coffee processed in this plant is organic and processed with the mountain waters that flow from the tip of Pico de Orizaba in Mexico. Each batch of green coffee is soaked in water until the soluble components seep out of the beans. The caffeine-extracted fluid is passed through a filter that extracts the caffeine from this solution. The coffee to be decaffeinated is then rehydrated and placed in the tank under optimal temperatures, vacuum, and pressures for the caffeine to be extracted. This solution then combines the crystal-clear waters of Pico de Orizaba and imparts the flavour and top notes that identify a coffee and its origin. After the extraction, the beans are triple-dried before being polished and physically and chemically analysed for remaining caffeine.

Decaffeinated coffee from Descamex reads between 0.020% to a maximum of 0.10%(g/100g) or about 99.9% caffeine free.

About Jairo Arcila

Jairo Arcila is a third-generation coffee grower from Quindio, Colombia. He is married to Luz Helena Salazar and they have two children together, Carlos and Felipe Arcila, who are the co- founders of Cofinet. Jairo’s first job was at Colombia’s second-largest exporter, working as their Mill Manager for over 40 years until his retirement in 2019. Jairo bought his first coffee farm, Finca La Esmeralda, in 1987 and this is where he planted his first Caturra lot. He was fortunate enough to earn money by producing coffee on his farm in addition to working full time.

Using his savings, Jairo slowly managed to purchase five additional farms. After Esmeralda came Villarazo, Mazatlan, Santa Monica, Maracay and then Buenos Aires. During the harvest period, Jairo is able to provide a number of jobs to locals which has a significant economic impact on their community

Jairo has received great advice and guidance from his sons who are now experts in producing Specialty Coffee. With their help, Jairo has greatly improved the picking, sorting, and processing of his coffees. His sons have also guided Jairo in the production of exotic varieties. He now grows varieties like Pink Bourbon, Java, Papayo ,and Gesha growing across all his farms. The guidance from his sons has empowered Jairo and given him the tools needed to produce fantastic coffees with amazing flavour profiles.

Besides coffee, Jairo also grows other agricultural products on his farms such as mandarin, orange, plantain, and banana. Jairo enjoys starting the day with a really good breakfast! But most importantly, he enjoys spending time with his family.

This coffee was carefully hand-picked in order to select only the ripest cherries and then hand-sorted to remove any defects. The coffee was sundried on raised beds in temperature- controlled conditions until the ideal moisture content is achieved. This decaffeination process is unique. The caffeine is extracted from the bean using sugar cane and water which enhances sweetness while maintaining coffee attributes. This micro-lot is 100% Pink Bourbon. This varietal is currently under research in order to determine its origin. It is said that it is a mutation that took place at 2100 m.a.s.l in San Adolfo, Huila.

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