Costa Rica - Las Lajas Finca La Julia, Black Honey (WS)

$14.96

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Size 12oz // 340g 5LB

Quantity

Roast level: Light
Processing method: Black Honey
Region: Sabanilla de Alajuela, Central Valley
Mill: Las Lajas Micromill
Farm: Finca La Julia
Variety: San Isidro

The Las Lajas Micromill is known for spearheading high quality special processing. Meticulous fermentation and quality standards make this cup stand out with notes of red licorice, blackberry, and cocoa.

About Las Lajas and processing method:

Oscar and Francisca Chacón are third-generation coffee producers, but the coffee is more than just in their family heritage: It's in their hearts and souls as well. The couple is committed to quality and innovation, and are among the very first farmers in Costa Rica to produce Honey and Natural process specialty coffee.

In 2005, after years of delivering their cherry to a cooperative for the going market price, they decided to join the brand-new "micromill revolution" and buy their own depulper to have more control over the quality and the price they received for their lots. "At first, we didn't know what we were doing," Oscar explains. "We were just experimenting." That experimentation led to some of the most exciting new flavor profiles we have ever tasted: Now, the Chacons produce a wide range of Honey process coffees, modulating the drying time in order to create different effects in the cup.

Necessity bred more innovation for the family when an earthquake in 2008 wiped out electricity and water to their area during the harvest. Unable to run the depulpers or to wash the mucilage off to produce Washed lots, Francisca took inspiration from her knowledge of African coffee production and quickly built raised beds on the property. Their Natural lots caught the attention of Cafe Imports' founder Andrew Miller, and the rest is both history and our-story.

Black Honey process is where the cherries are pulped and transferred to raised beds. During the first 2 days, the beans do not receive any movement until the third day, when they begin to make periodic movements (3 to 4 times a day) to reduce the humidity of the coffee.

Brewing ratios for drip and cold brew

Brewing ratios are the base for coffee brewing recipes. It's a way to make sure coffee brews to the strength we enjoy it!

For example, 1:15 would mean one gram of coffee to 15 grams of water and would make for a heavier cup of coffee. Increasing this to 1:20 would mean a more tea like brew.

Adjust these ratios to taste on any coffee, but we have a

Pour over, drip brews, and other paper filter methods

1 : 17 for our light and light-medium roasts
1 : 18 for our medium and medium-dark roast levels
Grind size fine-medium sand size

Cold Brew Concentrate

1 : 4.6
Grind size as coarse as your grinder goes
A french press recipe with ratio above would be 170g coffee to 793g water.
Steep in cold water in fridge for 12-14 hours
Cut 50/50 with water or to taste for diluted brew.

How long should I wait after the roast date to use?

Coffee is off gassing from the time it is roasted. Brewing coffee that is too fresh is difficult to extract because CO2 will repel water and make it hard to extract what makes coffee tastes great!

Paper filter or full immersion brew method (ie. pour over, brew pot, french press)

At least 3 days.

When you go to pour hot water over your coffee grounds you see the coffee 'bloom' or bubble up. Depending on your brew method, this can be a way to open the coffee up for continued brewing.

Espresso

At least 5-7 days.

Espresso is a highly concentrated and pressurized brewing method. CO2 has nowhere to go so it's best to let the coffee release this naturally past the roast date.