Costa Rica's ideal climate has earned it a reputation for consistent coffee growing. Tending towards a heavier body with equally bright acidity, the high altitudes and volcanic soils create a delightfully balanced cup. Often showcases notes of stone fruit that contrast well with deeper tones of chocolate. REGION : Perez Zeledon, San Jose, Costa Rica SOURCE : Cerro Dorado Farm VARIETY : Catuai, Caturra PROCESS : Fully washed and dried in the sun and mechanical driers SOIL : Volcanic loam ALTITUDE : 800 - 1800 masl ROAST LEVEL : 3/5 AROMA : Floral, herbal FLAVOR : Light citrus sweetness, vibrant tangerine ACIDITY : Citric, high BODY : Creamy, medium WHY WE LIKE IT : Clean, balanced, and refreshing RECOMMENDED FOR : Someone who wants a well-balanced and crisp cup This lot begins and ends with the vertically integrated Cerro Dorado (the 250-acre coffee estate), San Carlos (the wet-mill) and Coffee Experts (the export company, which includes a dry mill called Marespi), which is owned and operated by three generations of the Marin family. Rafael Lorenzo Marin Zuñiga established the coffee estate, then his son Angel Marin Espinoza established the wet-mill, and Angel’s son Juan Carlos Marin Valenciano manages the export company. During the harvest cherries are placed in a large tank with water to remove the less dense and damaged beans that float. All of this is done with a recycling water system. Then the cherries are depulped, fermented and washed before being transported to raised beds to gently reduce the moisture to 11 percent. After drying, the coffee is rested for a period of at least a month in silos and then milled for export with an impressive series of machines dedicated to dehulling and sorting green beans by weight and color.