Costa Rica

La Roca

Sweet toffee and fresh mandarin

The Umaña brothers’ careful processing leads to a deep toffee sweetness and fresh notes of mandarin.

This is our fifth year purchasing coffee from the Umaña brothers.

Producer
The Umaña Family
Coffee expression
A sweet & balanced coffee

Regular price: $22.00
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Sale price: $22.00
incl. vat/tax
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The La Roca mill is located at high altitude in the mountainous Tarrazu region

La Roca

The Umaña Family

This is our fifth year purchasing from the La Roca micro-mill, located in the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica, at 1900 masl. The mill is run by the three Umaña brothers, Felix, Dario and Juan Carlos. They are the fourth generation of their family to work with coffee, but the road to this point has not been smooth. Previously, the family were selling unprocessed cherry to a local cooperative at a low price. Like many in Costa Rica, the brothers saw that they could take more control of their value chain by processing their own coffees, but simply did not have access to the funds or financing to invest in the infrastructure required. So two of the brothers made the decision to immigrate to the United States, working illegally for several years in order to be able to afford to build the mill.

Costa Rica

La Roca

La Roca was finally built in 2014, and we were able to visit during its first harvest season. The Umaña family now feel a much greater connection to their coffee; they are able to cup the final results, searching for the best varietals and processes for their farm. They are also able to directly invest in quality, demand higher prices for the micro-lots they produce, and keep more of the profit by consolidating their value chain. The youngest of the brothers, Dario, now wants to train as a barista and open a coffee shop in order to serve their own coffees directly, completing the chain from tree to cup.

Crisp and sweet notes of toffee and mandarin are enhanced by careful honey processing

Honey Catuai

This is the same lot we have purchased from La Roca several times, a honey-processed Catuai. To accomplish this process, a Penagos Ecopulper is used, set to remove almost all of the fruity mucilage from the coffee seed while using minimal water. This results in a ‘white’ honey, aiming for a fresh and bright expression in the cup. In this lot, a deep toffee sweetness is enhanced by the processing, and joined by fresh and crisp notes of mandarin and vanilla.

Technical Data

Producer
The Umaña Family
Region
Tarrazu
Altitude
1900 masl
Varietal
Catuai
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.