Costa Rican SHB EP Tarrazu La Pastora

Description

In Tarrazu there is a cooperative that runs like a clock, a very big and well calibrated clock. With more than 4,650 members from Tarrazu, a canton in the province of San Jose, Cooperativa de Caficultores de Tarrazú RL (Coopetarrazu) is designed to receive cherries from many small farms and consistently process their coffee into a well-balanced regional blend called La Pastora.

Like clockwork, a parade of vehicles of all sizes, from pick-up trucks to dump trucks coming from central receiving stations, arrive in the late afternoon full of cherries that were picked during the day. The cherries are quickly weight and placed in a large tank with water to remove the less dense beans that float to the top inside the cherry. Next the cherries are depulped and pass through a demucilager that mechanically strips the mucilage from the beans. All of this is done with a recycling water system. The washed beans move down from the wet-mill through a long elevated conveyor belt into a machine that uses forced air to shed any remaining water. The coffee then passes through a series of dryers to gently reduce the moisture to 11 percent. All of this happens in a matter of just over 72 hours, which seems fast until you stop to consider that not a minute is wasted in the process. After all this, the coffee is rested for a period of at least a month in silos and then milled for export with another equally impressive series of machines dedicated to dehulling and sorting green beans by weight and color.

Coopetarrazu has an equally intricate model of income diversification with a profitable agriculture supply store and grocery store. Cooperative members also have access to low interest loans and healthcare.

Tarrazu coffees are grown in altitudes over 3,900 feet, allowing them to be designated SHB-single hard bean, the highest classification in the Costa Rican system. Grown in rich volcanic soil and high altitude make this one the finest coffees in the world.

Tarrazu coffees are famed for snappy, strikingly clean flavor. Known as a “classically complete” coffee, they’re crisp and medium-bodied, with tangy citrus flavor and a fine, satisfying aroma. Tarrazu cups wonderfully at all but the lightest and darkest of roasts.

Tasting Notes:
The aroma is floral and sweet like honey. A nice medium bodied, smooth & creamy cup of coffee with little stronger floral aspect, medium to low acidity. It does get a good lemongrass tone at lighter roasts with a soft fruit tone as the cup cools, crisper cup with a slight nutty tone. Turns much more chocolaty into the medium or dark roasts. The cup finishes with a pleasantly surprising spiciness. This is a savory cup of coffee with wonderful complexities.

Roasting Notes:
Easy to roast and good from light to dark. Will roast a little two toned, make sure everything is through first crack before cooling it out. Medium roasts are where thought it to shine, well balanced and smooth; might be a little mild for some. Darker roasts are slightly edgy but great pronounced dark chocolate tones balancing with some smoky and toasty notes, a good combo.

In 1960 a group of 228 small coffee producers in San Marcos de Tarrazú came together to establish Coopetarrazú. At this time they came together with the goal of establishing equal profits and a voice for small producers, something that was previously dominated by large producers in the region. This coop has grown to become one of the most important contributors to the economic development of the Los Santos region of Tarrazú. Today the Coop assists its more than 5,000 members with technical assistance, low-cost loans, and affordable fertilizers. About 80% of their members are small producers with farms of 4 hectares or less. They employ approximately 10,000 people throughout the year, either directly in coffee production or in supporting roles, allowing Coopetarrazú to control the entire production process for their coffee from harvest through sorting, milling and exporting. This level of control allows for constant evaluation which leads to consistent quality year after year.