Costa Rica - Entre Ríos

Aquiares, Costa Rica

We are thrilled to bring you this exceptional coffee from Aquiares, a farm owned and operated by Diego Robelo and his family. Situated on the slopes of the Turrialba volcano at an altitude of 1,400 MASL, it stands as the largest single-block coffee plantation in Costa Rica. The land is uniquely crisscrossed by a network of natural waterways connecting the two major rivers that border the estate: the Turrialba and the Aquiares. This majestic natural setting was home to a small pre-Columbian community hundreds of years ago, and traces of their history can still be found on the grounds today.

This harvest marks the ninth consecutive year NOMAD have worked alongside Diego, and the eighth year of dealing entirely direct. By negotiating the price directly with Diego - who also acts as the exporter - the export commission stays right where it belongs: with the farm. Furthermore, the import is handled directly, chartering the container straight from Costa Rica to Barcelona.

Process
Washed: First, floating and unripe cherries are meticulously removed. The high-quality, dense cherries are then pulped using a Penagos DCV 306. The mucilage is mechanically removed via a Penagos delva before the cherries are transferred to tanks for a 6-hour partial fermentation. A preliminary pre-drying phase is performed in a Centriflux machine before the coffee is moved to the final drying stage.

Mechanical Drying: The coffee undergoes 32 hours of drying in a Guardiola dryer within a strict temperature range of 45°C–55°C. Two 2-hour resting breaks during the day ensure a slow, uniform drying process for all beans.

Following drying, the green beans are rested in parchment for a minimum of two months before final milling, and are packed in 69-kg GrainPro bags inside protective jute sacks.