Costa Rica | Ivan Gutierrez SL-28

Ivans farm La Esmeralda spans 14 hectares located at 2000 MASL in Quebrada Grande. This release is a separation of SL-28, harvested in May 2024. This season’s SL-28 is vibrant and expressive, with a balance of sweetness and acidity. Expect bright citrus, apple candy, juicy black currant, along with floral honey and a touch of clove spice.  This marks our fourth year working with Ivan, and we’re excited to share this exceptional coffee once again.

Although Ivan’s farm has only been producing cherries for a few seasons, he’s no stranger to coffee. After many years running the Montañas del Diamante Mill with his siblings, Ivan decided in 2016 to sell his portion of the business and focus on producing high-quality coffee on a smaller scale. He purchased land in an up-and-coming region, now known for some of Costa Rica’s finest coffees, and began planting varieties like Gesha and SL-28. By 2021, Ivan had built his own wet mill and drying area, and that year, his coffee took first place in Costa Rica’s Cup of Excellence, marking an impressive start to his new venture.

Cherries are picked at peak ripeness, floated and depulped. The seeds are then left to dry ferment in tanks for 24 hours. The seeds are washed and rinsed of all the mucilage and moved to raised drying beds where they dry for around 10 days.