Costa Rica Tarrazú

Costa Rica grows coffee on volcanic soil, at altitude, in a climate that is about as well-suited to Arabica as you can find anywhere. Land here is at a premium, so growers long ago made the call to focus on quality over quantity. The country is also unique for The Coffee Law, passed in 1962, which regulates fair relations across the supply chain and locks in traceability for every bean produced here.

There are eight distinct coffee regions in Costa Rica. Tarrazú is the most well-known, sitting in the mountains south of San José at altitudes that push close to 2000 metres. Cooler nights, slower-ripening cherries, and a long dry season give the cups their reputation: chocolate, citrus, vanilla and dried fruit. This lot, La Pastora, sits squarely in that profile.

Multicolumn

  • Origin

    Tarrazú, Costa Rica. Mountain region south of San José, sitting between 1200 and 1900 masl. Volcanic soil, cool nights and a long dry season produce some of the country's most distinctive cups.

  • Producer

    CoopeTarrazú, a cooperative of more than 4000 smallholder farmers. Every bean is traced under Costa Rica's Coffee Law, which has regulated fair relations and traceability across the supply chain since 1962.

  • In the cup

    Chocolaty aroma with a hint of walnut. Sweet, almost grape-like, with a clean malic acidity and a cocoa-leaning finish.
Button label
Hand holding a clear plastic bag filled with green coffee beans over a pile of coffee beans.

About Bourbon beans

Bourbon coffee beans are a high-quality, renowned Arabica cultivar known for their exceptional sweetness, balanced acidity, and complex flavours.

Originating from Yemen and later spread from Réunion Island (formerly Bourbon Island), these beans are often grown at high altitudes in Latin America and Africa, featuring distinct red, yellow, and pink color variants.

Tracability of the coffee

  • Specifics about Lima

    Lima is derived from the Swahili words ‘Kulima’ (to farm) and ‘Wakulima’ (farmers), and refers to business people with in-house organic growers.

    They are the operator of the smallholder scheme and their smallholders become part of their team, present 365 days a year at village level.

    They give agricultural training, supply inputs, offer crop pre-finance, provide market access, purchase direct from the individual farmer at village level and provide traceability to their customers.

  • Specifics about Mbeya region and coffee

    Mbeya is positioned to the North of lake Nyasa (Malawi). Coffee was introduced to the Songwe Mbeya region by German missionaries, and as with much of Tanzania’s early planting.

    The coffee variety initially planted was KP423, which was then joined by N39. Both are types of Bourbon coffee.

    Mbeya coffee is renowned for a stable and fruity cup. Water is often scarce when the harvest is taking place resulting in “home processing” being the traditional methodology.

  • Specifics about the bean

    KP423 originates from Kent, a Bourbon-related variety traced back to seeds brought from Yemen to India by Baba Budan in 1670. Kent itself was selected in 1911 by L.P. Kent from a single tree at his Doddengooda Estate in Mysore, southwestern India, and became widely planted for its quality and early rust resistance.

    In the 1920s, Kent was introduced to Tanzania through breeding work at Lyamungu Research Station. From this program, KP423 was selected and released in the 1940s, later spreading to Uganda, where it remains an important Arabica variety.