Costa Rica | Volcan Azul | Caturra | Natural

Region: Alajuela, West Valley 

Elevation: 1400-1700 masl 

About: At Volcán Azul, the story starts long before the first cherry reaches the drying beds. In the early 1800s, two farmers, Alejo C. Jiménez in Costa Rica and Wilhelm Kahle in southern Mexico, set out with a simple aim: grow exceptional coffee for a growing European market. Their families carry on that work today, tending trees across three distinct Costa Rican regions on rich volcanic soil more than 1,400 metres above sea level. 

Quality here isn't a slogan, it's years of patient, careful farming. Alejo Kahle Castro now leads the farm, continuing a legacy of consistent Cup of Excellence placements, built on healthy soil, resilient varieties and strict picking standards. Among those varieties is Villa Sarchi, a compact, naturally occurring dwarf mutation of Bourbon discovered in Costa Rica in the 1950s, well suited to altitude and strong winds. 

Cherries are picked at peak ripeness, sorted meticulously, then dried slowly to let sugars and nuance develop. Conservation underpins it all, with rainforest protected to sustain the land itself.