Costa Rica: Don Joel - Finca Carmela

Costa Rica: Don Joel - Finca Carmela

This cup opens with silky, sweet wine gums and the zingy lift of lime and raspberries. Juicy black grapes come in on the finish of this well-rounded and fruity coffee.

We were lucky enough to first buy excellent Costa Rican coffee from Allan Oviedo Rodriguez just shy of a decade ago. We have been building a relationship with him and his family ever since that first purchase in 2017. This year we have three different lots produced by Allan. This is a Honey-processed Villa Sarchi coffee from Finca Carmela.

Finca Carmela: The Details

Allan has two farms in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica’s famous Western Valley: Finca La Cumbre and Finca Carmela. Their Don Joel micromill, named in honour of his late father, is situated on La Cumbre. The mill provides expert processing for both farms, plus small lots for neighbouring producers when there is capacity to take in extra cherry.

This coffee was grown on Finca Carmela. The farm sits at 1,600 metres above sea level and is just three hectares in size. The small plot is planted mainly with Villa Sarchi and Typica, along with small trials of varieties such as SL28.

Microclimates Are Key

Despite Allan’s two farms being only five minutes’ drive from each other, their locations on opposite sides of the same hill mean they experience vastly different microclimates. Weather fronts arriving from different directions will often affect one farm but not the other.

Even small variations in rainfall, sunshine, and wind can have a profound impact on how coffee trees grow and fruit. These subtle differences lead to distinct characteristics in the cup and give Carmela’s harvests their own unique personality.

To learn more about Finca Carmela and Allan’s coffee journey, check out his Producer Story here: Allan Oviedo & Family Producer Story.

Finca Carmela may be small, but it perfectly embodies Allan’s approach: careful attention, deep respect for the land, and a vision for producing coffees that express a genuine sense of place. We’re proud to share it with you.

Traceability

• Country: Costa Rica
• Region: Western Valley
• Province: Alajuela
• Canton: San Luis de Grecia
• Farm: Finca Carmela
• Micromill: Don Joel
• Producer: Allan Oviedo
• Elevation: 1,600 m.a.s.l.
• Processing method: Honey
• Varietal: Villa Sarchi

Cupping Scores

Cupping notes: Wine gums, lime, raspberry, black grape.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean Cup: 6.5/8
• Sweetness: 7/8
• Acidity: 6/8
• Mouthfeel: 6/8
• Flavour: 6.5/8
• Aftertaste: 6.5/8
• Balance: 6.5/8
• Overall: 6.5/8
• Total: 87.5/100

If you'd like to find out more about how we score coffees, have a read of What Do Coffee Cupping Scores Actually Mean?, and if you fancy trying cupping yourself, we've got a guide to that too: What is Coffee Cupping.

Roasting Information

Medium - through first crack and keeping it steady before you drop midway into the gap.

Recommended Resting Time

Our coffee is roasted fresh and ships quickly – which means it might arrive a little lively. Freshly roasted beans are still busy releasing carbon dioxide (a natural byproduct of roasting), and all that activity can make your brew taste a bit sharp or unsettled.

Give it a few days to calm down and something lovely happens. Those brighter, edgier notes mellow out, sweetness develops, and the flavours you're actually after can really come into focus.

We recommend resting your coffee for at least 5-7 days from the roast date on the bag before brewing. A little patience goes a long way.

That said, this is just what we've found works best – not a rule. If you can't wait, we completely understand. Tuck in whenever you like.