Coffee Garden—Costa Rica Divisa Estate Coffea Diversa Garden

Costa Rica's Diversa Garden: A Paradise of Rare Coffee Varieties

Costa Rica is located in Central America, where the climate and soil are ideal for coffee cultivation. Coffee has a history of over two hundred years here. Today, FrontStreet Coffee would like to introduce you to an estate that grows rare coffee varieties: Diversa Garden.

Remote Location with Unique Conditions

Few people may have heard of Diversa Garden. In fact, this estate sits in a relatively remote part of Costa Rica, at an altitude of 1,200-1,300 meters, in a region that traditionally does not produce coffee. Despite the favorable microclimate, soil, and altitude, few people had attempted to grow coffee there because of its geographical inaccessibility.

The location is very close to the mountaintops of the Talamanca range near La Amistad Park, influenced by both Atlantic and Pacific climates. This unique combination of climates contributes to the distinctive flavor of the coffee grown here.

A "Coffee Garden" Business Model

Unlike most coffee farms, Diversa Garden operates under a "coffee garden" business model. Whereas most estates primarily grow Bourbon, Caturra, Typica, and other common varieties, this estate cultivates many local and even exotic rare varieties and their mutants, boasting over 700 coffee varieties, plant species, cultivars, and mutant types. It is worth mentioning that most of these varieties cannot be found anywhere else in the world, making this the only place where such rare varieties are commercially cultivated.

The Visionary Owner: Gonzalo Hernández

The owner of Diversa Garden, Mr. Gonzalo Hernández, is a native Costa Rican who has dedicated his life to coffee. He has worked in almost every sector of the industry, from cultivation and processing to retail, opening coffee shops, green bean trading, and even roasting.

A Life in Coffee

As the saying goes, one's environment shapes one's character, and Mr. Hernández was exposed to coffee early in life. Like other Costa Rican children 40 years ago, he picked coffee beans on Costa Rican plantations during elementary school holidays. Later he attended university in Costa Rica, earning a degree in agronomy. After graduating, he worked at Costa Rica's largest bank, providing loans and technical assistance to coffee farmers and mills in the southern region of the country.

Mr. Hernández has worked in the coffee markets of Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Jamaica, serving as CEO of the Commercial Department of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board from 2000 to 2003. Notably, he also worked in coffee retail for American coffee chains. It is fair to say he knows every segment of the coffee supply chain thoroughly.

The World's Largest Private Coffee Collection

From 2003 to the present, Mr. Hernández has been sourcing and trading the most unique, rare, and exotic coffees in the world. He owns the world's largest private collection of coffee plant varieties, species, and cultivars, Coffea diversa Garden, where he produces many rare coffee mutants that are supplied to the most discerning green bean importers and roasters around the globe.

FrontStreet Coffee Presents: Dilla Alghe from Diversa Garden

FrontStreet Coffee would like to share with you a washed-processed Dilla Alghe from Diversa Garden.

About the Dilla Alghe Variety

The Dilla Alghe variety is also rarely heard of. Dilla Alghe is a wild coffee from Ethiopia, named for its proximity to the town of Dilla Alghe. Dilla Alghe trees are tall, with wide branch spacing and wide internodal distances. Young leaves and leaf tips appear red, but the yield is very low, and the plant is quite sensitive to disease.

Bean Characteristics

Looking at the roasted beans, they are medium-sized and overall quite uniform.

FrontStreet Coffee's Brewing Parameters and Flavor Profile

Brewing Parameters

Dripper: Hario V60;
Water Temperature: 89°C;
Dose: 15g;
Ratio: 1:16;
Grind Size: Medium-fine (BG 5T: China standard #20 sieve pass rate 58%);

Brewing Method

Segmented extraction. Bloom with 30 g of water for 30 seconds. Using a small flow, pour in a circular motion to 124 g, then segment. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 240 g and stop. When the level drops and is again about to expose the bed, remove the dripper. Time from the bloom; total extraction time: 1'56".

Flavor Profile

Dry aroma: fermented fruit aroma, berries, and grape notes.
Wet aroma: grape aroma and floral notes.
Taste: citrus, lemon tea, and brown sugar flavors with a viscous mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you have enjoyed this rare-variety detour into Costa Rica, FrontStreet's Costa Rican single origins are the perfect follow-up. The FrontStreet Mozart is one of the most approachable: a raisin-honey-processed coffee in which the beans dry with their mucilage still attached for a deep, syrupy sweetness.

Expect clear raisin and blueberry sweetness lifted by osmanthus and rose aromas, with a clean, layered cup that suits pour-over, cold brew, Americano, and latte alike. If you prefer a darker, berry-forward profile, the FrontStreet Blackberry, made with a black-honey process, brings an even richer, jammier fruit character to the table.