We taste: Cranberry, Blackberry jam, Grape candy
Region: Lourdes de Cirri, Naranjo, West Valley
Varietal: SL-28
Altitude: 1500 MASL
Harvest: March 2022
Process: Honey
Next roast day: June 12th
This season we bought 4 lots from Costa Rica, and this honey-processed SL-28 was one of the more unique coffees we tasted when making our selections.
SL-28 is a unique variety in many ways but it's the acidity we find that really sets it apart. This lot from Luis Padilla is a beautiful example of this amazing Kenyan variety grown in Costa Rica.
The cup is filled with bright and full-fruited flavors leaning heavily into cranberry and blackberry. It's a super jammy coffee with a honey sweetness and some more delicate and interesting notes of rooibos.
Luis Padilla and his family purchased the farm La Isla in 2017. It is a 2-hectare farm named after the mountain it's located on, La Isla (The Island). While this project may be new, coffee growing and agriculture are not new to Luis. His family has a rich history of coffee production in the region and Luis grew up on his family's farm. After spending time at university studying agronomy Luis began looking for land with his mother and father to start a farm of their own.
They came across a farm for sale that had some good varieties growing on it like SL-28, Geisha, and Villa Sarchi. the previous owner had started renovations but abandoned the land a few months before Luis and his family purchased it. The first thing they did was build a solid wet mill on top of the farm and then began replanting the farm with improved and younger trees.
Price Breakdown:
Farm Gate Price: $13.00 USD/LB
FOB Price: $16.00 USD/LB
Our Price: $16.71 USD/LB