September Costa Rica Volcan Azul Whole Bean

7oz / 200g Whole Bean
Notes: Cola, Molasses, Cherry, Plum, Viva Puffs
Region: Poas Volcano, Alejuela
Producer: Alejo Castro, Volcan Azul
Varietal: Typica
Process: Natural Warm Anaerobic
Elevation: 1500 m
Harvest: 2025
 
From September:
 
"This Typica is from our friend and widely respected producer, Alejo Castro. Volcan Azul is a Cup of Excellence winning farm and Alejo produces some of the nicest coffee in Costa Rica. This Typica is jammy, deeply sugar sweet yet balanced and memorable.
 
In the cup we get a deep sweet and complex profile of molasses and cola, cherry and juicy plum. This cup has a balanced citric acidity and a silky body with a long sugar finish.
 
Producer
Alejo Castro is the fifth-generation descendant of renowned coffee pioneers Alejo C. Jimenez and Wilhelm Kahle. Alejo's ancestors planted some of the first specialty coffee plantations in the early 1900s with the aim to produce the best coffee in the world. With over 200 years of family tradition in trading specialty coffee, Alejo's mission for the farm has been exclusively focused on improving coffee quality while making a positive impact on the environment. The highly fertile volcanic soil combined with the mill's impeccable processing methods has produced a history of award - winning coffees in Costa Rica.
 
Processing
At Volcan Azul, larger lots are dried using a combination of patio drying and mechanical dryers, whereas raised beds are predominantly used for micro-lots. Notably, the patio drying occurs at an elevation of 1500 meters above sea level, where the cooler temperatures naturally slow down the drying process, enabling the beans' aromas to develop more fully and richly. For this lot, the coffee beans were initially dried on a patio for 3 days, followed by a refinement process in mechanical dryers for about 48 hours, achieving a precise final moisture content of 10.6%. As for the warm anaerobic processing, this Typica lot underwent 4 days of fermentation in tanks at a temperature of 22°C, until the beans reached a final brix level of 17.
 
Variety
Despite its high susceptibility to diseases and lower yield (20-30% fewer coffee cherries than Bourbon), this variety is renowned for its exceptional cup quality. It is characterized by a clean, complex profile with a typically sweet taste and a broad range of flavor notes. However, it requires cultivation at high altitudes, preferably above 1600 meters above sea level—a condition that Volcan Azul's terroir perfectly meets."