Description
Hacienda la Amistad, located in Coto Brus, a canton in the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica, is owned and operated by Roberto Montero, a third generation coffee farmer. Roberto’s grandfather first came to the area in the early 1900’s as part of a team surveying the border between Costa Rica and the newly formed country of Panama. Roberto’s grandfather later purchased over 10,000 hectares of land and began to cultivate coffee. Roberto’s family has returned more than 6,000 hectares of land to the government of Costa Rica for the preservation of La Amistad International Park, the largest natural reserve in Central America. Only 300 hectares of land are utilized for coffee cultivation while the remainder of the 4,000 hectare estate is preserved forest teeming with wildlife.
Roberto’s commitment to organic farming pairs harmoniously with his commitment to his community. During the coffee harvest, Roberto provides housing and free access to medical care for the seasonal pickers because most are indigenous people from Panama who come to La Amistad with their entire families. Roberto also takes pride in his ability to provide more than 100 full-time jobs to his neighbors from Las Mellizas, not only in coffee cultivation, but also in the dried fruit operation that he runs year round at La Amistad. Roberto hosts an annual employee celebration to recognize all their hard work and he also distributes school supplies to their children each year before school starts.
Tasting Notes: This is one you Costa fans will not want to miss; great smooth and clean coffee. A sweet and nutty cup that turns a bit chocolaty as one pushes past a medium roast. Wonderful balance of tones with hints of floral and soft fruit that pop out at most roasts levels. A little herbal spice in the aftertaste. Medium bodied cup with low to medium acidity depending on roast level. A cup everyone should love.
Roasting Notes: A shame to roast super dark, will mute up sweetness and all the lighter tones but still tasty. Avoid cinnamon and light roasts, it will not be balanced and taste pretty front loaded with acidity and floral. It shines in the city+ to full city range. If you like a hint of acidity, a nice city or city+ roast (lighter side of medium) will be perfect, if you like lower acidity and a little fuller bodied, shoot for right before 2nd crack. (strong medium)
Talvisota McSauna –
Being deathly allergic to Wine Snob Language, I hesitate to say that this coffee has “a wide top layer of chewy fruit.” I won’t respect myself tomorrow morning for having written those words. But there it is. There is also a quality of traditionally produced orchard honey. Not the “factory bee farm” kind of honey that’s exploding in production levels lately–and simultaneously degrading in taste…and bee care. I know nothing about the Costa Rican rainforest other than what colleagues and friends have told me about their work there (ornithology and sustainable agriculture)…but this coffee tastes like I imagine that setting smells. Sweet deep dark life-giving humus, understorey layer redolent of deep green and floral fragrances, and something like papaya or the small tropical “apple” bananas. This is based on having taken the beans all the way through 1C and just till the first pops of 2C, using some probably too complicated manual button-pushing (Behmor Plus AB). Props to the Burmans for having secured a share of these delightful beans. Well worth the price. Can’t wait to enjoy this bean in the winter!
Mark Pope (verified owner) –
Brewed with a fully tweaked Profitec 700, Gen Cafe roasted to the beginning of the 2nd,there is something wonderful hiding behind the crema of this chocolatey, rich, espresso delight.
Art –
Great coffee! Roasted using the Nesco 500 using the dark roast which is really the city roast since it only approaches the second crack. Just like the description: nutty snd chocolatey. Burman is my go to green bean source. Never disappoints .
Bruce Peters (verified owner) –
Difficult beans to roast due to the sorting. Late stage first crack and second crack run almost simultaneously. There are some charred beans in the mix but don’t dominate the taste. The coffee is very good with sweetness and low acidity when you find the right roast profile.
John G Turner (verified owner) –
Just as described. Roasted to 2 crack. Not a lot of chaffe. Very good cup. I would buy again if I didn’t have more varieties to roast and try.
Lu Franco –
Very nice coffee! Low acidity, and very little chaff (finer too than most others I’ve roasted) when roasted to Full City.