Day 11 | Costa Rica Las Lajas Laurina Black Diamond

This coffee comes to us from the slopes of the Poas Volcano in Alajuela, Central Valley, Costa Rica. The Central Valley region is a high elevation plateau with the Central Mountain Range to the north and the Talamanca Range to the south. The country’s more than 60 volcanoes create fertile, mineral rich soil that is the perfect base for growing high quality coffee.

Las Lajas is a coffee farm and organic micro-mill owned and operated by 3rd generation coffee producers Francisca and Oscar Chacón. The mill is known for its pristine facilities and unique innovative processes. Considered pioneers of honey and natural coffees in Central America, the Chacóns consistently produce exceptional coffees. They are also leaders in organic growing and sustainable practices in the region.

Both Francisca and Oscar believe in preservation of the environment and protecting the beautiful natural wildlife of Costa Rica. They helped start the movement from high water usage washed processes towards lower impact honey and natural coffees. Inspired by the 2008 earthquake that cut off the mill's access to water, the Chacóns started experimenting with new processing methods. Their enterprise resulted in coffees with striking flavors that continue to excite and delight the coffee world. Today, water use at Las Lajas is minimal and Francisca and Oscar continue to innovate new ways to lower their environmental impact.

Laurina is a dwarf Bourbon varietal that was first discovered growing wild on Réunion Island in the Indian Ocean (previously known as Bourbon Island). As well as containing around half the caffeine content of other arabica varieties, it is also known to have a highly desirable flavor profile. However, Laurina cherries are more delicate than other varieties, so they must be grown and harvested with care.

For this coffee, only perfectly ripe cherries are carefully hand picked and immediately delivered to the micro-mill. There they are meticulously sorted to remove any cherries that are damaged or under ripe, selecting only the best quality cherries with the highest sugar content.

What makes the Black Diamond Natural process different from all of the other Las Lajas naturals, is the intentional and highly monitored curing process. The selected cherries are spread on raised beds to dry for one day before being moved to a greenhouse drying patio. During the first week the cherries are placed in a thick layer to ferment aerobically. After a week the cherries are spread out in a thin layer until the drying process is finished.

The drying for this process takes the most attention and time of any of the Las Lajas coffees. The temperature and movement of the cherries are constantly checked to make sure they don’t get overheated. The intent is to achieve a slow and even dehydration, while never allowing the temperature to rise abruptly. Oscar explained that the concept comes from the process of drying coffee seeds for the nursery, slowly drying them without compromising the embryo. This allows the sugars of the mucilage to cold crystalize, resulting in a sweeter and brighter cup.