Costa Rica Las Lajas Typica Black Honey

This coffee comes to us from the slopes of the Poas Volcano in Alajuela, Central Valley, Costa Rica. The Central Valley region is a high elevation plateau with the Central Mountain Range to the north and the Talamanca Range to the south. The country’s more than 60 volcanoes create fertile, mineral rich soil that is the perfect base for growing high quality coffee.

Las Lajas is a coffee farm and organic micro-mill owned and operated by 3rd generation coffee producers Francisca and Oscar Chacón. The mill is known for its clean facilities and unique innovative processes. Considered pioneers of honey and natural coffees in Central America, the Chacóns consistently produce exceptional coffees. They are also leaders in organic growing and sustainable practices in the region.

Both Francisca and Oscar believe in preservation of the environment and protecting the beautiful natural wildlife of Costa Rica. They helped start the movement from high water usage washed processes towards lower impact honey and natural coffees. Inspired by the 2008 earthquake that cut off the mill's access to water, the Chacóns started experimenting with new processing methods. Their enterprise resulted in coffees with striking flavors that continue to excite and delight the coffee world. Today, water use at Las Lajas is minimal and Francisca and Oscar continue to innovate new ways to lower their environmental impact.

The typica varietal has a long history and can be traced back to Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Typica can be found in all the major coffee-growing regions of the world and is the parent to numerous other popular varietals.

Typica is well-known for its top quality cup, but tends to be grown only rarely because of its susceptibility to pests and diseases and low yields.

Coffee is picked by hand and taken immediately to the Las Lajas micro-mill. For the Black Honey process, cherries are first pulped with a water-saving machine called a Penagos Aquapulper. The machine is calibrated to leave as much of the sugary mucilage as possible around the parchment. The coffee is slow dried on raised beds and turned once a day.