Central American Coffee Region - Costa Rica Las Lajas Estate SL28 Grape Dry Natural Introduction

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FrontStreet Coffee - Costa Rica Las Lajas Estate SL28 Raisin Natural Introduction

Francisca and Oscar Chacón are the third-generation operators of Las Lajas. Las Lajas is located at the foot of Poás Volcano in Sabanilla de Alajuela, Central Valley. The Chacón family has been growing coffee for over 80 years since their grandfather's generation. In 1995, Oscar's father passed away from cancer. They suspected that the chemical fertilizers and pesticides used on the farm were the culprit, so they stopped using toxic chemicals and required all processes to follow organic standards for cultivation and fertilization. They use homemade organic compost and extend organic standards to soil quality, shade trees, and washing mill procedures, adopting environmentally friendly natural farming methods with native tree shade cultivation.

After five years of organic cultivation, until the analysis of soil, branches, leaves, and fruits all passed, in 2000, Las Lajas became the first estate in Costa Rica to obtain organic certification. Currently, Las Lajas Estate has passed Japan's JAS, US USDA, and NOP organic certifications. After obtaining organic certification, the Chacón couple went further and began building their own processing plant. In the past, they could only send the cherries produced on their farm to large commercial processing plants, with no control over the post-processing procedures. Having their own washing mill to process their coffee has significantly improved the overall quality.

Innovative Natural Processing - Raisin Natural

Combining Black Pearl and Black Soul, the entire process is shade-dried for approximately three weeks or more. First, they are spread flat on cement ground inside a greenhouse, piled into mounds in the afternoon, covered with plastic cloth for shade, and spread flat again the next morning. After about one to two weeks, they are moved to African drying racks under the greenhouse for shade drying. There are two sets of these three-tier African racks, with positions changed daily in an up-down-left-right cycle to ensure even drying of the coffee beans until processing is complete. This longer fermentation period greatly enhances the sweetness and flavor complexity of the coffee beans.

Costa Rica Las Lajas Estate SL28 Raisin Natural

Region: Central Valley

Altitude: 1,300-1,500 meters

Variety: SL28

Soil Type: Volcanic soil

Grade Standard: SHB

Processing Method: Raisin Natural Processing

Harvesting Method: Hand-picked

Certifications: JAS, NOP, USDA

Estate Established: 1840

Cultivation Area: N/A

Estate Size: 38 hectares

Average Temperature/Rainfall: 20°C/2,500-2,700mm

Dry Aroma: Walnut, cream, blueberry

Wet Aroma: Wine, blackcurrant

Tasting Notes: Ripe grapes, plum, lychee, caramel

Knowledge Point: In 1729, coffee trees were transplanted from Cuba to Costa Rica, opening the chapter of Costa Rica's Arabica coffee tree cultivation.

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