Medium roasted coffee with notes of Wine fruit, toffee, and chocolate
 
Country:: Costa Rico
Region:: Tarrazú
Variety:: Caturra
Processing Method:: Natural
Microlot
 
Costa Rican Varietal and Region Information
 
Regionality 
One way that Costa Rica has worked to differentiate itself among coffee-growing nations is through the diversity of profiles in its growing regions, despite the country’s relatively small geographical size. 
 
Tarrazú might be the most famous of the regions: Its high altitudes contribute to its coffees’ crisp acidity. West Valley has a high percentage of Cup of Excellence winners, and grows an abundance of both the Costa Rica–specific varieties Villa Sarchi and Villa Lobos, as well as some of the more “experimental” varieties that have come here, such as SL-28 and Gesha. 
Tres Ríos coffee has a smooth, milder profile—perhaps more “easy drinking” with toffee sweetness and soft citrus than the more complex or dynamic Costas available. Central
 
Microlot
What makes a microlot? Dedication to the craft of coffee, exceptional quality in the cup, and a lot of hard work. The microlots are sourced to be the absolute best-in-show coffees, knock-outs that come in limited quantities but make a huge impact.
 
Microlot Coffee Offerings are sourced from innovative producers in innovative ways, from super high-end limited-edition Aces lots to cupping competitions and auction lots, to variety-specific separations and those coffees that are traceable down to an individual producer. Farmers are paid quality premiums for any microlot coffee, which reflects the extra planning, effort, labor, and attention to detail required to produce them, as well as rewarding the ultimate job well done.
 
Natural Processing (Dry Processed)
Fruit Removal:: after drying
Fermentation:: Occurs inside the fruit mucilage surrounding the seed and under the pulp, will take place as long as there is fuel available to the microorganisms (e.g. sugar, moisture, acids, etc); the seeds typically become inhospitable to microorganisms when they reach 11% moisture.
Drying Time:: approximately 30 days (depending on weather)
Profile:: Noticeably fruity or “pulpy” flavors, often described as “boozy” or “winey”; can also have strong nutty and/or chocolate characteristics, and typically has a heavier or syrupy body
 
     While Washed coffees have their fruit removed relatively quickly after harvesting, Natural or “Dry” process coffees are something like the opposite. The fruit is picked when ripe and allowed to dry completely around the seed before being husked or hulled off. Natural process coffees are most commonly found in Ethiopia, Yemen, Brazil, and Costa Rica, though producers around the world are also experimenting with this methodology.
      As with all coffee preparation, there is fermentation occurring during the processing, from the moment the coffee is picked (or possibly earlier, whenever an access point is created in the fruit). Local or intentional populations of yeast and bacteria will enter the fruit at the access point and begin to metabolize the sugars and acids inside the coffee fruit immediately, a process that can continue until the coffee is dried to the standard of 11% moisture. 
     While the coffee itself is not held in “fermentation tanks,” its fermentation process can be altered by things like ambient temperature and exposure to full sun or shade; depth on the drying bed; rotation of the coffee during drying, etc.
 
Varietal
Caturra
Derivation:: Bourbon related
Location of Origin:: Brazil
Origin Story:: Naturally occurring dwarf Bourbon mutation discovered in Minas Gerais, Brazil (1915–1918) and later selected for cultivation (1937)
(Café Imports)