COFFEELAB - Costa Rica Las Lajas Alma Negra Filter 200 g

All about the product

Origin: Costa Rica

Region: Sabanilla de Alajuela

Farm: Las Lajas

Variety: Caturra & Catuai

Processing: Alma Negra

Altitude: 1250–1700 m above sea level

ABOUT THE COFFEE

Lots of depth, lots of sweetness, and nothing obvious. Introducing Alma Negra from the legendary Las Lajas. This is one of those micro mills whose name has become synonymous with a distinctive style: intense sweetness, juicy naturals, and exceptional processing methods. Alma Negra is one of their most renowned processing methods.

This Costa Rican coffee resides in the territory of dark red fruits and dried tea leaves. The closest comparison would be cherry rooibos: sweet, gently astringent, and syrupy in consistency, with an exotic, refreshing hue that lingers in the aftertaste.

ABOUT THE PROCESSING

This exclusive natural processing method is based on very slow and precisely controlled drying of all coffee cherries. Only hand-picked fruit with a sugar content exceeding 22° Brix is allowed. The cherries are first washed and then sorted by density in water, removing lower density fruits. An additional electronic sorting stage removes all remaining defects. The selected cherries are dried on courtyard patios in a greenhouse for 22 to 30 days, depending on the intensity of sunlight. After drying, the coffee rests for at least 60 days to equilibrate moisture content and stabilize the flavor profile developed in the fruit. Only then is it hulled, re-sorted, and prepared for packaging.

ABOUT THE FARM

Las Lajas is managed by Francisca and Oscar Chacón. Before they began to push the boundaries of coffee processing, they were ahead of their time in how they viewed cultivation. They decided to transition to organic farming after Oscar's father's death, who had worked with pesticides for many years. Since then, Las Lajas has stopped using conventional chemical plant protection products. They made this decision at a time when organic farming was not yet rewarded with higher coffee prices. In 2000, Las Lajas became one of the first officially certified organic coffee farms in Costa Rica.

Store in a cool, dry place.