Costa Rica Los Cipreses Rume Sudan Filter 1KG

Max Salazar is a member of the Salazar family, made up of three generations of coffee producers, who started cultivating coffee in the 1960’s on a small parcel of land in Llano Bonito, Costa Rica. The farm has grown over the years, and the family now has 10 hectares dedicated to coffee production. Their farm, Finca La Isabela, is named after Max’s mother. Max manages the farm with his father, Claudio, who inherited it from his father in 1980.

In the family’s latest effort to control and improve quality, they have established their own micromill/processing center, Beneficio Los Cipreses, named after the cypress trees that grow in the area. This year’s effort is an anaerobic Rume Sudan lot, processed at Cipreses by Max.

The cultivation of coffee at Finca La Isabela is a meticulous process. It begins with seedbed preparation, managing shade trees – a mix of native and fruit-bearing trees are gradually being included in the renewal plots – and involves a combination of organic and chemical fertilisers. Harvesting is performed during the dry season, enabling optimal ripening and meticulous selection of the coffee cherries.

Processing at the farm is varied, with honey-processed lots undergoing 24 to 48 hours of oxidation, depending on the desired colour. The first three days see the coffee turned twice, with the frequency increasing until the 30th day, typically when the honey process is at its peak. Washed coffee undergoes 24 hours of oxidation before depulping, where it’s then held in containers and the pH carefully maintained until it reaches 4. Following a clean water wash, the beans are sun-dried on raised beds for approximately 25 days.

Anaerobic processes, applied to washed, honey, and natural lots, begin with 24 hours of fruit oxidation, washing and disinfecting. The coffee is then transferred to a bioreactor, mixed with a batch of microorganisms that naturally occur in the lot, and held there for 72 hours at temperatures between 25C and 35C. After this period, the beans are moved to clean, raised beds for drying over more than 28 days.

Post-processing, the coffee is stored in a warehouse at temperatures of 20C to 25C for about 30 days. Following hulling, the coffee is returned to the warehouse for another month prior to export.

The efforts of Finca La Isabela extend beyond coffee production. Since 2020, they have actively participated in the Blue Ecological Flag process, a voluntary initiative recognising organisations for their commitment to environmental and public health care. The farm was awarded the three-star Agricultural Blue Ecological Flag in both 2021 and 2022, with ambitions of obtaining the same accolade in 2023.

Climate change represents the most significant challenge to Finca La Isabela’s coffee production. Unpredictable weather patterns, increased disease prevalence, and inflated production costs have resulted from altered rainfall patterns and higher temperatures. Despite these obstacles, the farm plans to invest in technological advancements that streamline production, improve drying processes, and reduce electricity consumption.

While the focus of Finca La Isabela remains on coffee production, Max and his team remain committed to working harmoniously with nature. They continually strive to innovate and offer a diverse range of flavours in their coffee. Their passion for coffee and commitment to the environment is the cornerstone of their ethos, echoed in every cup of coffee produced at Finca La Isabela.

The Rume Sudan variety, processed as honey and anaerobic lots, has been named “MATA DE CHAYOTE”, a tribute to the ancient chayote plant that separates these lots on the farm.