Costa Rican – Libertad Especial Corralillo Los Santos

Costa Rican Libertad Especial Corralillo Los Santos

This wonderful Costa Rican Libertad Especial Corralillo Los Santos comes from the Coopelibertad and offers a beautiful and lively aroma of green apple and pear characteristics, flavorful tropical fruit and chocolate notes with a full body and a clean aftertaste. It has a medium-high acidity and is a silky smooth cup. 

Coopelibertad was founded in 1961, in one of the most important moments for the Costa Rican Cooperative movement, and came to represent a solution for the coffee farmers on Central Valley (Heredia) and with it, they could obtain better results on their farming activities. Since their creation, Coopelibertad has worked side by side with partners in search for the common good and thus constitute on support for the socio-economic improvement through coffee growing.

History
In the early 60s, profit-oriented private companies were the only ones dedicated to coffee in the Heredia province. Without technical assistance, smallholders started loosing financial support and soon the ability to look after their farms.

The National Bank of Costa Rica established the Cooperatives Department to promote solidarity instead of profit. With the bank’s advice, a group of local farmers held the first Constitutive Assembly of the Cooperativa de Caficultores de Heredia in April of 1961. This is how it all started. In the words of the then vice-president of the board Luis Omar Chavarría: “This Company was born as a protest from small coffee growers, who in turn saw in the union of their efforts, the opportunity to be free to manage their small businesses as they please and once and for all not to be never again subject to the whims of the wealthy. I propose that our Cooperative be named COOPE LIBERTAD RL ”

The Coop
Coopelibertad has 490 members (294 men and 196 women) and represents the interests of more than 1200 coffee growers in 25 communities in the Central Valley. They offer all sorts of producer support: credit system, technical assistance, delivery of organic fertilizer and coffee seedlings under favourable conditions.Their industry processing plant (beneficio) is able to process 3,680 TM  of cherry per year: 1,170.24 TM coffee available for the 2021 harvest.

Each farm has an average of 4,9 hectares of coffee cultivation.

The Coopelibertad Coffee Quality has been awarded for the second year as “the best of Costa Rica Fair Trader Coffees, Taza Dorada” in the specialty coffee category, prize awarded by SCA-CR.

They are also one of the last mills that are using Natural Fermentation for Fully Washed Coffees as they truly believe that this has a positive impact on the quality of the coffees making them unique and special.

Costa Rica was the first Central American Country to grow coffee on a commercial basis. Cuba introduced Costa Rica to Coffee in 1729. Costa Rica only allows Arabica Beans to be grown in the country and growing any Robusta beans is illegal. The best beans are labeled “SHB” for strictly Hard Beans which means that the coffee must be grown at an altitude of above 4,000 feet. Coffee grown at high altitudes are known as being the best because it increases the acidity of the bean, and because of the high altitude, the nights are often cooler which slows down the maturity of the coffee plant allowing the beans to develop to a more intriguing flavor.

Coffee production has played a key role in Costa Rica’s history and continues to be important to the country’s economy. In 2006, coffee was Costa Rica’s number three export, after being the number one cash crop export for several decades. In 1997, the agriculture sector employed 28 percent of the labor force and comprised 20 percent of Costa Rica’s total GNP. Production increased from 158,000 tons in 1988 to 168,000 tons in 1992. Costa Rican coffee is high in caffeine; it is often blended with inferior varieties. The largest growing areas are in the provinces of San José, Alajuela, Heredia, Puntarenas, and Cartago. The coffee is exported to other countries in the world and is also exported to cities in Costa Rica.

Origin – Costa Rica
Process – Washed
Altitude – 1200m – 2000m
Harvest – October – March
Species – Coffea Arabica
SCA score – 83.75
Varietal – Arabica

Rory’s Tasting Notes:

Subtle chocolate paired beautifully with the delicate hint of caramel and orange. The cup finishes with smooth almond & hazelnut.