Costa Rica Las Lajas Black Diamond

LIGHTER ROAST |Black Cherry | Dried Currant | Juicy Sweet

The new lot has arrived! This year we taste black cherry and dried currant with a juicy sweet finish. We've been buying special lots directly from our friends at Las Lajas since Jay first traveled to meet Dona Francisca and her husband Oscar Chacon and visit their world renowned farm and micromill in 2017.  The word has gotten out about these pioneers in coffee - but we're lucky to secure some of their best and rarest lots every year. This is a fruit forward and floral coffee crafted for home pourovers & connoisseurs looking for an exceptional, naturally sweet & juicy cup. 

Location: Las Lajas, Central Valley Elevation: 1500 meters Process: Natural
What is a the Black Diamond process? 
This is a natural aerobic process, where once the cherries are harvested, they are transferred to the mill for their classification, where only those with a high percentage of brix degrees are chosen. After this they are transferred to the greenhouse patio for their dehydration. During the first week the cherries are placed in a thick layer, in order to ferment aerobically. After this first week the coffee is spread in a thin layer until the drying process is finished. The drying time ranges for 20-30 days. The result is an exceptional, fruity, juicy cup with candy-like sweetness.

About the farm and producers 
Dona and Oscar of Las Lajas are 3rd generation coffee producers. They own and manage their micro mill, Las Lajas, and specialty coffee farms in different regions of the foothills of the Poas volcano in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. 

Oscar Chacon’s grandparents started what is now Las Lajas in 1948. Over time, Oscar and Francisca inherited the farms and therefore became coffee producers. In 2000, they started processing coffee themselves at the Las Lajas mill, largely focusing on yellow, red and black honey processed coffee. However, on February 8, 2008, the Cinchona earthquake struck and significantly impacted the area. After a week without drinking water or electricity, they realized they needed to figure out how to process their harvest since they were unable to produce washed or honey coffee. Eventually, they decided to process the coffee naturally, resulting in their now famous natural processed microlots.