EL ÁNGEL, COSTA RICA

Through longstanding relationships with family-run farms in the mountains of Costa Rica, we're able to source some truly unique gems. El Ángel is the first of the fresh wave of offerings from this verdant nation.

When we first tasted the coffee from the daughter and father team of Alejandra and Arturo Chacón, we were struck by the completeness of the package. The coffee was terrifically sweet and balanced but also had an interesting, if not complex, acidity. Since that first taste in 2009, we’ve established quite a bond with the Chacón family, to the point that Ritual buys all of the coffee that they produce from their three farms. During the past five years, the Chacóns have built a small micro-mill for processing their coffees that they call El Angel. In addition to purchasing the aqua-pulper, the family has also built drying tables and a small bodega to safely store the coffee. Wanting to provide additional support, Ritual began a sponsorship program to help rehabilitate and revitalize the farm. Over the past several years, it has been very exciting to see the quantity and the quality of the Chacón family’s coffee improve in tandem – a measurable success for both producers and consumers like us.