Crema Trekkers: Exploring La Lajas, Costa Rica

Costa Rica, La Lajas, Crema Trekkers

 

COSTA RICA COFFEE BEANS


The Perla Negra Catuai/Caturra coffee beans produced by La Lajas, Costa Rica, are grown at altitudes of 1,300-1,500m above sea level, are organically produced and processed with a unique Natural method known as Perla Negra.

Caturra is a naturally occurring coffee mutation of the Bourbon varietal that produces smaller cherries but a higher yield per plant. It has low pest resistance and isn’t the hardiest of plants, but (once established) you can grow around 10,000 plants per hectare (compared to a usual 6,000 in other varietals). Typically Caturra beans present soft body, but have a bright and sweet flavour profile.

Catuai is a high-yield Arabica cultivar developed by the Instituto Agronomico do Campinas in Brazil, produced by crossing Mundo Novo and Caturra. The tree is short, with lateral branches forming close angles to the primary branches, and is more durable in strong winds or rain as the cherries do not come off easily. Catuai is also known for producing a sweet cup profile.

The Perla Negra from La Lajas produces a variety of sweet fruits and delicate flavours in the cup. It is recommended to drink this Costa Rican single origin as an espresso or long black coffee, but is also recommended for plunger, filter and V60 Pour Over brew methods.

 

Tasting Notes: Medium body with a citrus acidity. Starts with lime and honey with a cacao finish. A well-balanced coffee that finishes with a clean, velvety mouthfeel.

Finca La Lajas Costa Rica      Finca La Lajas Coffee Cherries, Costa Rica      Francisca and Oscar Chacon of La Lajas, Costa Rica

 

LA LAJAS ORGANIC FARM – CENTRAL VALLEY, COSTA RICA


Las Lajas is located in a unique microclimate at 1,300 to 1,500m in the depression of the Poás and Barva volcanos, which perfectly regulates the temperature and elements for coffee plantations.  Based in prime specialty coffee country in the Sabanilla de Alajuela region of Costa Rica’s Central Valley, this lush fertile area is characterised by heavy and regular rainfall of around 3,000mm for 150 days of the year.

Coffee production is one of the most important economic activities in this area of Costa Rica, with Alajuela home to the regions airport – making it the tourist hotspot of Central Valley.

La Lajas is currently owned and operated by the Chacón Solano Family, and has been for over 80 years. The current owners, Oscar and Francisca Chacón, are the third generation and began organically farming around 30 years ago, receiving official certification in 2000.

The farm’s objective is to produce some of the highest quality coffee in Costa Rica, which they proved in 2008 contributing to Francisca Cubillo Salas winning the Cup of Excellence, but also to continue farming and processing coffee in an environmentally and socially responsible way. One way they aim to meet this objective is by continually innovating their processing methods, and were early innovators in Costa Rica in perfecting different honey and natural processing methods. Another strategy they use to be environmentally responsible is using organic composting like vermiculture (worm composting), to make sure the process is entirely free of chemicals and agro-toxins.

 

Welcome to La Lajas, Costa Rica     La Lajas coffee farm in Costa Rica     Coffee Plantation La Lajas in Costa Rica

 

THE GREEN BEAN PROCESS


The Perla Negra is an innovative natural process for producing green beans used on La Lajas Organic Farm. Only the ripest and highest quality coffee cherries are selectively handpicked and delivered to the micro mill onsite. At the mill the cherries are soaked in clean water to remove any debris or dirt, then immediately transferred to raised beds or patios where they are slowly dried between 15-22 days.

Natural processing at Las Lajas came about somewhat by accident. In February of 2008, an earthquake hit the region and the farm remained without water or electricity throughout several crucial weeks during the harvest. In order to salvage what they could of the year’s production, the family decided their only option was to continue picking the coffee and to process the cherries the only way they knew that didn’t require the use of extra electricity. Thus, the very first natural coffees of Costa Rica were born!

Due to the demands of the natural process in a climate with 3000mm of rainfall annually, only a maximum of 10% of the farm’s annual production is processed as Perla Negra.

 

 Francisca and Oscar Chacon of La Lajas, Costa Rica     Natural Process Coffee Beans Costa Rica      Green Beans La Lajas Costa Rica      Oscar Chacon of La Lajas and green beans in Costa Rica

SIGN UP FOR CREMA TREKKERS COFFEE SUBSCRIPTION TO GET MORE COFFEES LIKE THE COSTA RICAN

It's not too late to sign up for the Crema Trekkers Coffee Subscription - the Americas Trek is running till April and the World Trek will run til the end of December 2018 (this will include what's left of the Americas, then the Africa Trek - starting in May - and the Asia Trek - starting in September). Learn more about the Crema Trekkers Coffee Subscription here.


Image Sources:

https://www.casestudycoffee.com/blogs/us-profiled/las-lajas-project-2017

https://www.coffeehunter.com/the-coffee/las-lajas-perla-negra-organic-6/

http://www.seattlecoffeeworks.com/store/p/263-Costa-Rica-Valle-Central-Las-Lajas-Perla-Negra.aspx

http://www.onelinecoffee.com/2013/02/costa-rica-day-1/

https://mayorgaorganics.com/pages/costarica