Introduction to Costa Rica's Beneficio Brumas del Zurqui

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Brumas del Zurqui Processing Mill and Dona Clemencia Estate

The Brumas del Zurqui Processing Mill (Beneficio Brumas del Zurqui) was founded in 1880 by the Rodríguez Carballo family and is now managed by Juan Ramón Alvarado Rodríguez. The Dona Clemencia Estate (Finca Dona Clemencia) is a new estate he purchased three years ago, renamed to Dona Clemencia Estate in honor of his mother, Don Juan Ramon.

This estate plants only one hectare of the Geisha variety, which just had its first harvest in 2017. The quantity is limited, and it participated in the Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE) competition, achieving 28th place.

The Rise of Honey Processing in Costa Rica

In 2002, when Juan Ramón Alvarado Rodríguez first established his processing mill in the Central Valley, there were only three small processing mills in the region, including his own. Costa Rica has a long history of coffee cultivation, but in the past decade, the innovative "dry" processing method has become a trend. Collectively known as the "honey processing" method, it utilizes pulp scrapers to adjust the degree of pulp removal, producing coffee that ranges from light to dark (white, yellow-red-white, yellow-red-black) in color, with "honey-like" characteristics ranging from subtle to intense, each offering unique acidity, complex aromas, and rich body—each with its own merits and depth.

Honey processing originated in Costa Rica, and simultaneously, Costa Rica developed the unique characteristic of micro-mills. The main feature of this development is the hope that every small farm can have its own bean processing system, allowing the entire process from harvesting to processing to be completed by the farm itself. This enables production of the finest specialty green coffee beans according to each farm's unique processing techniques.

Brumas del Zurqui Estate Excellence

The Brumas del Zurqui Estate has its own family-owned green bean processing mill. "Brumas" originally means "valley filled with clouds and mist." Besides growing coffee, the estate also assists neighboring estates and small coffee farmers with processing services. Coffee cultivation began in 1880, and in 2006, Brumas won the Costa Rica National Coffee Competition Championship. The estate's "honey processing method" immediately gained attention from coffee merchants worldwide. Therefore, since 2007, Brumas's coffee beans have always been sold out before competitions even begin.

The Brumas del Zurqui Estate, established by the Juan Ramon Alvarado and Natalia Gomez family in 2002, is a micro-sized water processing mill. This family has been engaged in coffee cultivation and production for over a century. Juan Ramon Alvarado, in particular, is a leader in honey processing coffee technology. In 2016, their processing mill achieved third place in the Costa Rica Cup of Excellence (COE). In 2015, family member Natalia Gomez's estate, El Beneficio, participated in the COE competition using the honey processing technology experience from Brumas del Zurqui processing mill and won second place. This demonstrates that their family estate and processing mill technology's fame is no accident.

Juan Ramon Alvarado currently has multiple estates including Zamora and La Nena, among others. Coffee varieties cultivated include Bourbon, Caturra, Geisha, and others.

Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee suggests brewing parameters:

Pour-over: V60 dripper, Fuji R440 grinder setting 3.5, water temperature around 90°C

French Press: Recommended grinder setting 4, water temperature 90°C

Siphon: Recommended grinder setting 4, water temperature 90°C~91°C

AeroPress: Recommended grinder setting 3.5, water temperature 90°C

Important Notice :

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