Costa Rica, Coffea Diversa Excelsa

Unlike Arabica (Coffea arabica) and Robusta (Coffea canephora), the two species that dominate the coffee world, Excelsa is an exceptionally rare coffee species with a character entirely of its own. Often referred to as the ‘Emperor of Coffees’, it grows on an imposing tree that can reach heights of up to 15 meters, making it quite unlike the compact coffee plants seen across most commercial farms.

Its rarity is part of what makes this coffee so extraordinary. Excelsa is produced on a tiny scale globally, and pure lots are exceptionally difficult to find. At Coffea Diversa in Costa Rica, one of the world’s most remarkable collections of coffee species and varieties, Excelsa is cultivated separately, allowing its distinctive character to be experienced without blending it with more conventional coffees.

This particular lot offers a fascinating glimpse into just how diverse coffee can be beyond Arabica. Naturally processed to complement the species’ unusual profile, it produces a rich, full-bodied cup with remarkably little bitterness.

For those accustomed to traditional specialty coffee, Excelsa is something genuinely different: rare, complex, and wonderfully unconventional. It is an opportunity to taste one of coffee’s least encountered species in its pure form, and to discover a side of the coffee world that very few people ever experience.