Costa Rica Las Lajas Perla Negra Natural

COUNTRY: Costa Rica
REGION: Sabanilla de Alajuela
FARM: Las Lajas Micro Mill
VARIETY: Caturra
PROCESS: Natural
ELEVATION: 1450 M
CUPPING NOTES: Grape Juice, Pineapple, Pomegranate

     Dona Francisca and her husband Oscar Chacon of Las Lajas are 3rd generation coffee producers. They own and manage their micro mill, Las Lajas, and specialty coffee farms in different regions of the foothills of the Poas volcano in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. The Cumbres del Poas name comes from the area where the coffee is produced, the summits of the Poas volcano.
     Oscar Chacon’s grandparents started what is now Las Lajas in 1948. Over time, Oscar and Francisca inherited the farms and therefore became coffee producers. In 2000, they started processing coffee themselves at the Las Lajas mill, largely focusing on yellow, red and black honey processed coffee.
     The Chacon family is committed to producing the best high-quality specialty coffee while focusing on environmentally friendly practices. During the harvest of their coffees, they measure the brix content in the coffee cherries to determine the best time to pick their coffees to obtain the utmost sweet and fruit forward profile. Additionally, water use at Las Lajas is minimal, since their coffees do not undergo the washed process. Oscar and Francisca are focused on sharing their knowledge and passion for specialty coffee with their four children, as they will eventually take the reins of the family business.
     We have brought coffee in from this very special farm for many years as their consistency and quality is second to none.  This is on the more progressive side of the flavor spectrum, not quite co-ferment wild but certainly more winey and fermented than a traditional natural processed coffee. This caturra selection is extremely fruit forward and lively with notes of grape juice, pineapple and pomegranate in the cup.