GARDELLI FILTER COSTA RICA LOS DURAN, BLACK HONEY

The Duran family farm is in the village of Sarchí in the West Valley. Eduardo works the farm with his three sons; Barney is actively involved in coffee processing and production on the farm, while Kendall and Arnold work as software engineers. They all show great passion for coffee and for continuing the work their father has been doing for decades. All three brothers spent most of their school holidays working in the field either picking cherries or stumping and planting trees. The Durans recognize that in coffee production today, in addition to preserving traditions, one must at the same time be innovative. Kendall is working hard with his brothers to help bring their coffee to better markets.

The farm consists of different plots of land, each between two and three hectares. The lowest plot, Santa Teresa, lies at 1100 masl: the varieties cultivated here are healthy Sarchimor trees and an F1 hybrid variety, a cross between an Ethiopian landrace and Sarchimor known as H1 Centroamericano. The El Roble parcel is located at the altitude between 1300 and 1650 masl: different varieties such as Catuaí and Caturra as well as other new hybrids such as H3 and H17 grow on this plot. These hybrids can have great results in productivity and in the cup while at the same time being more resistant to disease and fungi.

Over the past year, Eduardo and Kendall have been building a micromill on the small coffee plot behind their house, which is a quite labour-intensive process. The Duran family opted for a traditional depulper instead of a high-end mechanical demucilager that scrubs all the mucilage off coffee using friction. Not only is this machine more economical - it also helps to create more unique profiles in the cup. The new mill has more space for drying, including a greenhouse with drying beds to keep up with the increasing production of microlots.

The West Valley, or Valle Occidental, seems to have been created specifically for coffee cultivation, with altitudes ranging from 800 to 1400 masl, humidity consistently near 81%, and an average temperature of 21°C - the climatic conditions that promote a plentiful, healthy crop. Valle Occidental typically experiences rain for about 160 days a year. The start of the dry season in November coincides with the coffee harvest, which continues until February, accompanied with a festive atmosphere during the Christmas holidays. Most local growers have small plantations and use sustainable agriculture and processing methods to produce Arabica beans with balanced acidity and body, for which West Valley coffee is famous around the world.

TASTE LIKE

Plum, Grape, Muscovado Sugar, Dark chocolate

THE VARIETY

Centroamericano H3 is an F1 hybrid variety generated by crossing the Caturra and an Ethiopian E53. It is reproduced through a tissue culture cloning process called somatic embryogenesis.

This cultivar has been distributed among coffee producers in Central America over the last decade. H3 is lauded for being rust-resistant and almost 30% more productive than Caturra or Catuai, while displaying all their prized flavour notes.

THE FERMENTATION PROCESS

The coffee is fermented using a special honey process. The H3 cherries were harvested when they reached a very ripe state and de-pulped immediately after harvest. The de-pulped coffee was fermented with its mucilage in bags for 24 hours before being dried. It was then dried for six days in the shade on white sheets. After the first drying phase, this lot was transferred to raised beds for additional 21 days, where the drying was complete.

The process applied is black honey, and "black" in its name refers to the fact that the beans appear entirely dark when the processing is complete, indicating that there is a high sugar content in the beans and that they have reached the optimal moisture level.

BREW GUIDE

V60 STYLE

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