Origin - Costa Rica

Region - Alajuela, Valle Occidental

Process - Natural with a 72h anaerobic fermentation

Producer - Max Salazar

Altitude - 1700m

Variety - Villalobos

Tasting notes - Tropical, hazelnut, pomegranate

Despite its relatively compact size, Costa Rica has a diversity of climates that has led to a rich and varied coffee industry. Los Cipreses, which includes two farms and a mill, is located in the West Valley, which is influenced by Pacific weather patterns and is consequently drier than the Central Valley, producing a different coffee profile. Max Salazar runs the farms, San Cristobal (10ha) and La Isabella (13ha), named after his parents, alongside his two cousins and uncle Danilo. The business is named after the cypresses grown on a partnered farm that are sold as Christmas trees in December.

The way the farms are structured has resulted in a of number of microclimates that require specific management, adapting processes for each slope and orientation. Winds are strong in the area (the region’s coffee was decimated by the 2015 hurricane Nate), so they have had to find solutions to decrease its impact on the coffee plants.

Before 2019, Max and his family used to deliver their cherries to a neighbouring mill, but in 2020 they decided to process part of their harvest themselves, installing a small mill and a greenhouse. The processing plant, as well as the lowest part of the farm, is located at 1680 masl. During the harvest, 30 pickers extra are hired.

Despite the presence of crop disease and pests, Max doesn’t want to spray trees with chemicals, preferring to fight coffee rust with more natural methods, including a good fertilisation plan and resistant varieties. He doesn’t use herbicides, and weeds are controlled with mulching.

The family also has cattle in San Carlos (50 animals) and they share their time between the two production sites, but Max prefers the coffee and dedicates most of his time to it. He is involved in the specialty and barista scene in San José, and has developed many ideas to innovate processes and improve quality at the mill. He is looking for stable and durable relationships with a few clients rather than selling his coffee more widely.

This lot underwent anaerobic natural processing. Freshly harvested cherries are first fermented whole in the open air for 24 hours. The cherries are then moved to sealed tanks where they are fermented for 72 hours. The fermented coffee is then dried in full sun exposure for 25 days.