Festive Brew

Back in 2021 we reached out to Selva, our sourcing partners in Costa Rica, to ask for their recommendation for a producer who would be interested in developing a long term, mutually beneficial partnership. To this day we are so grateful for their introduction to Mauricio Jimenez, and we are proud of how this relationship has grown over the years. Mauricio consistently produces some of the highest quality lots that we taste each year, and his coffees are always a highlight in our calendar.

This particular lot is a collaboration with Mauricio’s uncle, Yano. Don Yano has been growing coffee for decades and delivers his newest planted catuai to Mauricio for processing.

Mauricio uses his neighbour’s wet mill in the nearby town of San Pablo. First, floaters are removed before the ripe cherries go through the depulping machine. Next, the coffee passes through the mechanical mucilage remover that is adjusted to leave a certain amount of mucilage on the seeds. In the case of this lot, Mauricio has chosen to leave about 30% of the mucilage on the seeds while drying, resulting in what he describes as a “Red Honey” process. By leaving some of the mucilage on the seeds while drying, Mauricio is able to achieve a clean and sweet yet complex and nuanced profile. Finally, the parchment is dried on raised beds typically for around 10-12 days until a moisture content of 10-10.5% is achieved.