Costa Rica is a small country nestled in the heart of Central America. It’s probably most famous as a nature retreat for wealthy Americans, favoured for its stable government and relative safety compared some of its Central American neighbours.

Traditionally, coffee from Costa Rica was bulked and sold – however the higher production costs has made it impossible for the country to compete with neighbouring Nicaragua. Costa Rica has therefore turned its attention to the production of high quality micro lots as part of an effort to justify the higher sales price.  This lot comes to us from the Monte Brisas mill that is managed by Doña María Elena who is a real pioneer for the role of women in coffee. It was her decision to replace dairy (the traditional produce of this region) in favour of coffee in 2011 when she helped establish Finca Salaca and the Monte Brisas mill. She has championed the production of high quality lots ever since and she has made a name for herself in cultivating and processing coffee thanks to her comprehensive agronomic and technical experience.

This lot comes to us from some experimental plots on Finca Salaca, where there is a varietal program underway to collect data on successful varietals with regards to cup quality, yield and resistance to pests and disease.

María’s daughter-in-law Marícruz assists her in running the operation and we are proud to be able to showcase their efforts by way of this deliciously sweet coffee that is so well balanced and suited to a range of brewing methods from espresso to filter.