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Costa Rica

Don Joel Bourbon

Deeply rich and sweet Bourbon

A deeply rich and sweet Bourbon varietal lot, grown by Allan Oviedo in Costa Rica’s West Valley.

This lot by Allan Oviedo has a deep and rich sweetness, reminiscent of milk chocolate and caramel, punctuated by fresh forest berries

Producer
Allan Oviedo
Coffee expression
A sweet & rich coffee

Regular price: $27.00
incl. vat/tax
Sale price: $27.00
incl. vat/tax
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Allan inherited control of the farm from his father Joel, naming the micromill in his memory.

COSTA RICA

Don Joel

Allan Oviedo is a second generation coffee producer, inheriting his land from his father Joel Oviedo around 20 years ago. Joel’s land was split in two, with half going to Allan, and half to his brother, Allan’s uncle. Initially, he was selling coffee cherry to a local mill, receiving a very low market price. This meant he had to take shifts as a taxi driver in San Jose to make ends meet, saving money to reinvest into the farm. Allan made many changes on the farm, aiming to improve quality of life for his family. Like many in Costa Rica during this time, Allan’s aim was to process his own coffee, constructing a micromill.

Allan initially delivered cherry to a local mill, working hard to afford his own micromill

He eventually accomplished this, naming his mill for his father, Don Joel. Allan has heavily invested in quality since, winning several awards in the Costa Rican Cup of Excellence, including a 29th place in 2017, 18th in 2021, and 15th in this year’s competition. This success has allowed Allan to continue to invest, even purchasing the rest of his father’s land back from his uncle and planting more Villa Sarchi and Typica. Allan’s continuing success is a testament to his methodic and detail-focussed approach, allowing him to continue to increase the quality of the coffee he produces, as seen in his ever higher placings in the Cup of Excellence.

Deeply rich and sweet Bourbon

Bourbon

This year, many of Allan’s lots ended top of our rounds of cupping together with our partners from Exclusive Coffees in Costa Rica. This lot, a honey-processed Bourbon varietal, stood out for its deep sweetness, reminiscent of caramel and milk chocolate, while remaining fresh with notes of forest berries.

Technical Data

Producer
Allan Oviedo
Region
West Valley
Altitude
1600 masl
Varietal
Bourbon
Process
Honey
Harvest
March 2022

Honey Process

With the honey process a certain amount of mucilage and pulp are allowed to remain on the coffee bean during depulping. The cover will stay with the bean during fermentation and drying thereby contributing to the sugars absorbed by the bean and affecting the flavour notes of the final cup. The amount of mucilage remaining defines the type of honey process - white, yellow, red or black in ascending order of mucilage concentration. If they are processed properly, the coffees can take on quite a lot of sweetness and flavours while remaining clean.

Raised drying beds (sometimes referred to as African drying beds) are often preferable when working with honey processed coffees, because of the additional airflow they allow. The air ensures that the beans dry evenly and reduces the incidence of fungi and bacteria formation. On the other hand, some farmers are accustomed to using sun-exposed patio drying that require a regular raking of beans to avoid moulds. While total fermentation and drying time depend on such choices as well as ambient temperature and moisture levels, red honey processing easily needs two weeks from depulping until drying has completed.