[A word from the roaster]
A weighty, deep sweetness woven from the rich natural environment of Costa Rica's Central Valley, also called "the Bordeaux of coffee," and the careful handwork at the farm that is the "black honey process." By passing the fire through slowly at a medium-dark roast, I have fully drawn out the richness and body this coffee bean holds by nature.
One sip fills the mouth with a pleasant, dark-chocolate-like bitterness and a dense sweetness packed with a sense of fruit. It has a solid, substantial drinking presence, yet a remarkably smooth feel on the tongue. A cup of real presence that you will want to sit with slowly, on a quiet night or in a moment when you wish to take a calm breath.
[Origin notes]
San Gabriel Farm, located at the foot of the Tres Valles mountains in the Central Valley region of Costa Rica. Blessed with an environment at 1,350m to 1,600m and volcanic-ash soil ideal for growing coffee, this is where farm owner Fernando Toja raises his coffee trees with passion.
The greatest appeal of this coffee lies in the "black honey process," refined with time and effort. After the fruit is stripped from the harvested cherries, the beans are dried with the mucilage (the sticky layer containing the sweet components) left almost entirely intact. During drying, frequent turning and the utmost care are required, demanding a great deal of labor, but in return a honey-like, dense sweetness and complex flavor soak deeply into the coffee bean.
At San Gabriel Farm, thorough quality control is carried out from the management of cherry ripeness through to the drying process. The concentrated flavor that only the black honey process can bring is the crystallization of rich soil and the producer's unstinting effort.
[Tasting notes]
A dense sweetness like dark chocolate or brown sugar, with the profound fruitiness of dark dried fruit. Marked by the rich body and depth of a medium-dark roast, with a mellow, weighty finish that lingers long. Delicious on its own, of course, and a cup with a firm structure that holds its flavor even when paired with milk.
Product name Costa Rica Central Valley San Gabriel Black Honey
Region Central Valley region, Tres Valles Mountain, Purical
Altitude 1,350 to 1,600m
Producer San Gabriel Farm, Fernando Toja
Variety Caturra, Catuaí
Process Black honey
Roast level Medium-dark roast
