Costa Rica Berlina Honey Microlot

One of the things that I find so wonderful about Costa Rican coffee is it's even-handedness and consistency. This week, however, I've decided to revisit something a little different. From the very same famers I visited a few years ago, your Costa Rican Berlina Honey Micro-Lot is a wild and satisfying experience. This is a lower-yield coffee, extremely rare, dried slowly in direct sunlight. It's a gorgeous roast with a floral, almost hoppy nose, a sweet profile, and a creamier body than anything I've encountered from Central America before.

This micro-lot is unusual because it's an "African Style" (pulped natural) coffee, in which fruit pulp is left to dry on the seed. This coffee is exquisitely balanced, using highly-refined, first-world cultivation methods, but with an old-world spin that yields sweeter flavors reminiscent of a dark cola beverage. Think of something in-between a sassafras root cola and ginger beer, infused with apricot & plum. This possesses a bright acidity and a clean, lingering finish, with pleasurable flavors from beginning to end. There's also a delicate earthiness that's quite unusual for pulped naturals, but it's that touch of ginger and spice that makes this one of the easiest sipping-coffees available.

El Salvador Cerro Las Ranas

It's been more than a year, but I'm finally roasting this insanely satisfying bourbon varietal, cultivated along the peaks of the Apaneca Ilamatepec mountain range. Your El Salvador Cerro Las Ranas is in the roasting drum, and I can't wait to share. Honey-processed coffees like this are the most exciting coffees to drink, with an "old world" milling style that allows for unexpected, delicious nuances in your brew. The beans are sorted by hand, stripped of the fruit skin, and sun-dried with the fruit pulp still on the seed. The result is a wilder cup, with apple and berry aromas, milk-chocolate creaminess, and a clean, snappy finish.

The dry grounds put out fragrances of malted milk and hazelnut, along with caramelized sugarcane and mulling spices. Once brewed, softer aromas of red apple and cinnamon emerge. The is an incredibly round, balanced cup of coffee, with a great, heavier-than-expected body that allow for the cocoa and almond flavors to mingle nicely. The flavors are clean and distinct as drip or press coffee, but your Cerro Las Ranas is an intense and wonderful espresso, as well. I love this coffee!

Received 07/09/2013

El Salvador Cerro Las Ranas
Rainforest Alliance Certified

Roast Color: Medium/Dark Roast Color
Prep: Dry-Process, Pulped Natural, Sun-Dried
Body: Smooth, Medium-Bodied
Flavor Profile: Bright, balanced acidity
Cupping Notes: A shop favorite, this honey-processed varietal delivers a rich and sophisticated cup that we've been waiting for for over a year. It begins with a sweet start, followed-up by creamy milk chocolate and cherry flavors, a fully-developed body and a lemony-orange finish.