Costa Rica Aquiares

The flavour profile is black cherry, caramel, raisin, toffee and vanilla with an SCA score of 84.75.

Aquiares, one of Costa Rica’s most historic coffee farms, sits high on the slopes of the Turrialba Volcano.

The largest coffee farm in Costa Rica, Aquiares devotes 80% of its land to growing high quality coffee and the remaining 20% to conservation. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams, all protected with buffer zones in line with our Rainforest Alliance certification. These streams form a network of natural corridors through the farm that connect the large protected forests in the two river valleys, providing a healthy environment for the local animals, birds, and plants.

In 1890, Aquiares was founded by farmers looking to take advantage of Costa Rica´s railroad to the port of Limón. The farm built its own mill, focusing on the washed-coffee processes that are indicative of Costa Rican coffee. Soon, the quality of Aquiares' coffee won it loyal clients in Europe, the United States and Japan.

In the early 1900's the English Lindo family acquired the farm. One of the first things they did (in 1925) was import an aluminum church from Belgium and specially order its stained glass windows from Italy. To this day, the church remains the heart of the Aquiares community.In 1949, the farm was bought by the Figueres family. This was the family of Pepe Figueres, the ex-president who abolished the Costa Rican Army. This famous family continued to develop and expand the farm until the early 1970s when three closely-knit families assumed ownership.

First plant of F1 CA we planted was back in 2011, with no real understanding of what we where getting ourselves into. Turns out this hybrid derived from the cross of Rume Sudan & Sarchimor T5296 was gonna love the fertile soils of Aquiares, and produce one of the best profiles of our unique volcanic, Caribbean and shaded terroir. 

Vigorous plants produce burgundy red cherries bearing a dense, and large bean. We pick these lots every 15 days and only bring in 5-10 bags per day. A team of select pickers, or "microloteros" have in these years perfected the skill of selection for optimal ripeness.