La Guatusa • Honey Catuai

Recommended Roast Level

Full City (Medium)

Tasting Notes

Milk chocolate - This coffee has a very unique complexity with a lot of smoothness. Milk chocolate is a smooth, sweet, slightly bitter note that we felt encapsulates this idea well.

Jam - Jam has sweet, thick, and slightly tart properties. We chose this note because this coffee has a touch of just about everything.

Tonic - In the same way tonic has a bitter-forward nuance, we pick that up in this coffee’s cup as well. Overall, this coffee is a dynamic source of a lot of notes that can be played with  depending on the brew method.

Rio Jorco Coffee Production

Rio Jorco is a true rise of the phoenix type of story. The farm and mill has a long history of producing some of the most consistent, representative, and accessible coffee out of Tarrazu, Costa Rica. After many, many years of establishing a name for itself and setting a high standard for coffee production in the area - it’s management started to run into financial trouble due to poor decision making. The project got into such a bad place that they had to sell Rio Jorco. Recently, Carlos Castro, a sweet older man, farmer, and philanthropist purchased the project as a way to support the surrounding community. Since Carlos’ family took over the project - it has really flourished, not only in business, but most importantly in the plantations and well-being of the mill. Together, with Carlos’ daughter, her husband, Yendry, and their right hand man, Gerardo, they have completely turned Rio Jorco around and even improved beyond their existing reputation.

La Guatusa  is one of the premier plantations that Rio Jorco has in their growing area just south of the capital city of San Jose. High up in the mountains at 1650 masl, it is rich and fertile soil that makes an excellent foundation for high quality coffee. This farm it’s strategically improved because it has many sources of natural water. The unique climate is also great for producing coffee with plenty of sun in the morning and lots of cloud cover and rain  in the afternoons and evenings. Their farm management is also of the utmost importance. The family has been renovating the farms since they have taken over and practice sound and environmentally conscious techniques to battle disease and promote healthy plants. They chose the Catuai variety, because it is a well proven plant - it produces well, is pretty resistant to disease, and results in a good cup profile. Lobos is a reliable and consistent producer for the mill, a short truck drive away.

Highlights