YELLOW PEACH | STICKY TOFFEE | VELVETY

Don Sabino Micromill sits at the foot of the Poás Volcano in Sabanilla de Alajuela, where Steven Vargas runs the mill as the fourth generation of a family that has been growing coffee in Costa Rica’s West Valley for more than 80 years. Steven and his father built the mill in 2011, naming it after Steven’s grandfather, Sabino. The mill sits right next to their home, so the coffee on the drying beds is never far from their watchful eye.

This lot is Catuai from Finca Birri and is processed as a “double process” natural, meaning the cherries go through two deliberate stages rather than one.

First, hand-sorted whole cherries are sealed in anaerobic tanks and left to ferment for 48–70 hours, encouraging the development of sugars and fruit character. Still in their whole-cherry form, they are then moved onto raised beds to sun-dry. During drying, Steven uses thermal shocks, cycling the coffee between warm drying beds and cool, dark storage. This repeated change in temperature causes the beans to expand and contract as they dry, carefully shaping the final cup profile.

In the cup, we taste yellow peach and sticky toffee with a velvety body.

Country / Costa Rica
Location / Sabanilla de Alajuela, West Valley, Finca Birri (Don Sabino Micromill)
Process / Natural
Variety / Catuai
Altitude / 1400–1600 masl