Costa Rica La Mirella "Honey" 12oz.

The hefty body produced by honey processing and the flavor of sweet, nutty graham crackers envelops a transparent profile of stone fruits and citrus in this highly drinkable cup.

Farmer: Oscar Chacon and Francisca Cubillo Salas
Location: Central Valley
Processing Type: Honey
Certifications: Organic, Direct Trade

Oscar Chacon and Francisca Cubillo Salas, both third generation coffee farmers, established the Las Lajas micro mill in 2004. Francisca has an agronomy degree from the prestigious EARTH University. She and her husband Oscar and their three children own a 15 hectare farm close to their micro mill called La Mirella. La Mirella is the healthiest looking farm we have ever been to. Perfect soil, shade and song birds lend an Eden-like atmosphere to the grounds. La Mirella is located in the Central Valley near the smoldering Poas Volcano. Francisca and Oscar cultivate about 100 bags per year of signature La Mirella coffee, which has won Costa Rica’s Cup of Excellence multiple times. During the harvest, the family employs 6 coffee pickers, and 3 staff members to help process the coffee at the Las Lajas mill. They use BRIX meters which read sugar levels to judge cherry ripeness during the harvest. According to Francisca, coffee has the perfect balance of acidity and sweetness when it reaches 20% sugars. After the coffee is picked, the mucilage is eliminated mechanically with a Penagos system. Francisca and Oscar produce what is called "honey coffee” which is created by leaving an excess of mucilage surrounding the beans. This mucilage, composed of sugars and alcohols, is absorbed into the bean during the drying process creating a sweeter, heavier-bodied cup. The coffee is dried on raised beds.