Our Costa Rica Los Vindas Honey Microlot comes from the 111 acre Cerro Los Vindas, located on the Tacuotarí Mountains’ volcanic slopes. Since 1969 Vindas brothers, Eduardo, Leonel and Gerardo have been producing one of Costa Rica’s finest arabica coffees from Caturra and Red Catuaí. Cerro Los Vindas coffees are handpicked at peak ripeness and expertly dried and milled by the Palmichal Mill. Pulping removes roughly 20% of the fruit mucilage, leaving a full 80% portion to dry on the bean. Cement patios are used for six days before a final run in a drum drier for best uniformity finishes the process. After resting in parchment for two months, dry milled, sorted by weight, density, size and color and shipped in Grainpro bags. In the cup our Costa Rica Los Vindas Honey Microlot has perfectly balanced aromas of sweet citrus, powdered sugar and orange blossom. The cup is very good with equally balanced notes of bright orange and citrus.
Aromas of sweet citrus, powdered sugar and orange blossom. Perfectly balanced notes of bright orange and citrus.
During 1967, three brothers, Eduardo, Leonel and Gerardo Vindas purchased their first parcels of land from a cattle farmer, where they continued producing milk and cheese for the 1,500 or so residents of Palmichal. Two years later in 1969, the Vindas brothers started to grow their first arabica seedlings on the tremendous Tacuotarí Mountains’ steep and treacherous slopes. At that time no one had even so much as pondered coffee production on Tacuotarí let alone put it into practice. Yet the Vindas brothers, convinced of the potential offered by the region’s volcanic soil, combined with the Pacific influence and relatively dry climate, knew this locale to be ideal for arabica coffee. Through the years the brothers continued growing Caturra and Catuaí varieties while simultaneously working to protect the crystalline Tacuotarí rivers and its dramatic slopes from runoff and erosion.
Like other honey process coffees, our Costa Rica Los Vindas Honey Microlot retains much of its fruity pulp after it’s been washed. The remaining cherry mucilage ferments into the bean, adding sweetness and complexity. Patio workers carefully rake the beans while drying to ensure best uniformity and to avoid rot. Done correctly, honey process coffees offer a unique taste profile with notable sweetness, accentuated body and typically citrusy overtones. Increasing in popularity, honey process coffees are becoming more and more sought after in the specialty market, and we are always on the lookout for new lots that we can bring in to offer our roasters.
For more on honey processing and other coffee processing methods, see our Farm-To-Cup guide.
Central Valley
Eduardo, Leonel, and Gerardo Vindas
4,757 ft (1450m)
Dec - Mar
Centro Americano, Caturra, Ensemble, Obata, Red Catuai, S795, Sarchimor, Villalobos, Villa Sarchi, Yellow Caturra
SHB, Microlot
Honey, Natural
2
SHB, Microlot
Natural
3
Microlot, SHB
Natural
10