Costa Rica

Santa Rosa 1900

Unique 'reposado' Process

The sixth time we have purchased from Macho and Herberth Naranjo, with a unique 'reposado' honey process

The ‘reposado’ honey process brings an extra depth and richness to the typically clean and ripe Catuai.

Producer
The Naranjo Family
Coffee expression
A fruity & balanced coffee

Regular price: $22.00
incl. vat/tax
Sale price: $22.00
incl. vat/tax
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Unique 'reposado' Process

Santa Rosa 1900

This is the sixth time we have bought coffee from the Santa Rosa 1900 micro-mill, named for its location at 1900 masl in the mountainous Tarrazu region of Costa Rica. The mill is located only around 10 km from Altos del Abejonal, where we have worked with Mauricio Vindas for over 8 years.

The mill processes coffee from several small farms owned by the Naranjo family, mainly tended to by Efrain ‘Macho’ and his son Herberth. This lot of Red Catuai is processed using a slightly strange method when compared to most of Costa Rica. You may recognise the idea from some of the Guatemalan lots we have shared over the past few years. In Guatemala often small producers don’t have the resources to pick and process coffee on the same day, so coffee begins to ferment in cherry overnight.

At Santa Rosa 1900, they use this fermentation method by choice, and call it ‘reposado’, which literally translates as ‘rested’. After the pre-fermentation, where the cherries lie in plastic bags overnight, the coffee is de-pulped and dried as a honey with mucilage still attached. This adds a little more ferment character to the cup when compared to a standard honey, greater sweetness, and a soft and complex fruit character you may recognise from some of our Guatemalan lots. Alongside this focus on processing, Macho is always keen to point out on our visits that coffee quality starts on the tree, so he places great focus on soil health and maintaining a population of bees to pollinate his plants.

The Santa Rosa 1900 mill is run by Efrain and Herberth Naranjo.

Santa Rosa 1900

Costa Rica

We buy coffees from a long spine of Costa Rica, running through the country’s capital San Jose. This spine is famous for high quality coffee production the world over, resulting in high prices for farmers. One of the reasons for this is plentiful high altitude, the Talamanca Sierra runs through the region, with peaks of above 3000 masl. This spine is split into 3 regions, the West Valley and Central Valley to the north of San Jose, and Tarrazu to the south. In all of these areas, but especially in Tarrazu, agriculture and coffee growing is a main employer, vital to the economy. In fact, the population of Tarrazu is multiplied by three during harvest season, when workers flock to the region for the high wages paid to skilled pickers.

The entire spine is mainly of volcanic origin, helping to provide fertile soils conducive to the production of consistently high scoring coffees, which we keep going back for. 2022 marks the ninth year we have worked with our Costa Rican export partners at Exclusive Coffees, and the producers they have connected us with just keep on delivering excellent and transparent coffee experiences.

Technical Data

Producer
The Naranjo Family
Region
Tarrazu
Altitude
1900 masl
Varietal
Catuai
Process
Reposado 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.