Costa Rica Cerro San Luis (Espresso)

Meet Costa Rica Cerro San Luis. Milk chocolate, roasted nuts and a hit of dried stone fruit, from a family that rebuilt their farm from the ground up to make better coffee.

Cerro San Luis is a family micromill in Grecia, in Costa Rica's West Valley, run by siblings Alexander and Magali Delgado and their partners. A few years back they made a big call: they pulled out their older trees and replanted with more than ten different varieties, all in the name of better coffee. Their farms sit side by side, and the mill is at the family home just down the road, so the cherries go straight from the tree to their own processing.

The West Valley has produced a lot of Cup of Excellence winners for a reason. Cool temperatures at altitude slow the cherries down, which means more sugar in every bean.

Flavour notes

Dried Stonefruit. Roasted Nuts. Milk Choc.

A yellow honey process on Caturra and Catuai, which keeps some of the fruit's natural sugars on the bean while it dries. That's where the sweetness and body for the machine come from.

You've got questions, we've got answers.

Is this only for espresso?

Yes. This one's roasted specifically for the machine, so you get a shot that's sweet and rounded rather than thin or sharp. If you're after filter, it's not this bag.

What's a honey process? Is there honey in it?

No honey, promise. The name comes from the sticky layer of fruit left on the bean after the skin is removed. In a honey process, some of that sticky layer stays on while the coffee dries, adding sweetness and body. "Yellow" means a lighter amount is left on, so you get extra sweetness while the cup stays clean. The family decide how much to leave on at their own mill, then dry the coffee on raised beds before moving it to a covered patio where it's turned regularly until it's done.

Will it work with milk?

Brilliantly. Milk chocolate and roasted nuts are made for a flat white, and the dried stone fruit keeps it interesting rather than flat. Smooth enough to drink black too.

Why does the West Valley matter?

It's one of Costa Rica's most decorated coffee regions, with more than its share of Cup of Excellence winners. High altitude and cooler weather mean the cherries ripen slowly and build sugar, which is exactly why this one tastes as sweet as it does.

How does it taste?

Milk chocolate up front, roasted nuts through the middle and a soft dried stone fruit finish. Sweet, balanced and an easy daily drinker with a bit more going on than your standard chocolatey shot.

Specs

Origin: Costa Rica
Region: West Valley (Grecia)
Farm/Producer: Cerro San Luis Micromill, Alexander and Magali Delgado
Variety: Caturra, Catuai
Process: Yellow Honey
Altitude: 1200 to 1900 MASL
Harvest: December to April

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We roast five days a week and dispatch at 1pm every day. So you get your coffee FAST!