About this coffee

This coffee is sourced through our Importing partners at Cafe Imports. As a part of their sourcing program in Costa Rica, this coffee falls under their signature Cafe Vida program which is a Cafe Imports specific program that aims to capture the classic characteristics of a Washed Costa Rican coffee: sweetness and soft acidity, toasted nuts and balance. And we are definitely getting that classic profile from this roast.

Brown sugar leads the way with its apparent sweetness throughout the cup. As the coffee cools, it starts to open up to an approachable malic acidity through the form of dried apple chips and is also accompanied by a nice caramelized sugar flavor in the form of toffee. The toasted nuts we get comes in the flavor of hazelnut to add a nice richness and body to this coffee.

Washed coffees from Costa Rica are usually processed using mechanical demucilaging machines rather than through a process of depulping-fermenting-washing: This is due to the fact that the national coffee authority, ICAFE, enforces strict regulations regarding the amount of water that can be used in coffee production. Coffee cherries are typically demucilaged the same day they are harvested, and dried on patios or mechanically.

Motivated by the desire to work directly with growers, build better connections, and keep a closer eye on the quality and logistics of all coffee shipments leaving Costa Rica bound for Cafe Imports’ sales offices around the globe, Cafe Imports opened the doors of their import-export operation, Oxcart Coffee, in 2018.

Through their work at Oxcart, their aim is to continue to work with the same micromills year after year to focus on building quality with our long-standing partners. The Oxcart Coffee office is not simply a place to do the business of selling coffee, but also a resource for local producers. By hosting open cuppings at their onsite roasting lab, offering opportunities for consultation and education, and creating a space for candid conversations about coffee, quality, and production, they hope to continue to establish Oxcart as a place where our producer partners can grow and prosper with them.