About the coffee
- Cupping notes: Full bodied, good sweetness and acidity, notes of lemon, orange, and honey when roasted at medium
- Cultivation: shade-grown in rich, volcanic soil on coastal mountains near the Pacific, in the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica
- Altitude: 4,250-4,600 feet
- Tree type: Caturra, Catuai
- Preparation: hand-picked, fully washed, sun and mechanical drying
About the people who grow it
Top: coffee drying floor; Bottom: composting coffee pulp into organic fertilizer.Photos by CoopeTarrazú.
Tarrazú is a mountainous region located south of the Central Valley in the province of San José, in Costa Rica. The majority of Costa Rican coffee comes from Tarrazú, which has a strong and well-developed coffee culture. The word Tarrazú derives from the ancient Huetar Indian tribe that once inhabited this region. A humid climate, high altitude and rich volcanic soil contribute to conditions which produce high quality coffee that is highly appreciated in the world's most demanding markets, thanks to its good body, high acidity, fine aroma, intense flavor, and chocolaty finish.
Tarrazú is a peaceful community of 16,000 inhabitants, whose population triples during the harvest season—between November and February—with the arrival of a wave of coffee pickers and their families who accompany them. During those four months the region’s farms are lively with activities, the weekends being particularly colorful, as workers go to the villages to stock up on food for the following week.
The coffee harvest season is the economic driver for CoopeTarrazú, generating up to 30 billion colones, money that remains in the Los Santos zone for 5,000 associated producers and tens of thousands of coffee pickers and related workers. CoopeTarrazú strives to build a social solidarity economy, where the search for solutions for the members of the community prevails over the interest of profit. The coop has contributed greatly to the region’s community assets, including education, arts, sports, and more. Of its thousands of members, 80% are small producers (4 hectares or less), 14% are medium-sized producers (4-10 hectares) and only 6% are large producers (more than ten hectares). About a third of its producers are women.
Tarrazú is a peaceful community of 16,000 inhabitants, whose population triples during the harvest season—between November and February—with the arrival of a wave of coffee pickers and their families who accompany them. During those four months the region’s farms are lively with activities, the weekends being particularly colorful, as workers go to the villages to stock up on food for the following week.
The coffee harvest season is the economic driver for CoopeTarrazú, generating up to 30 billion colones, money that remains in the Los Santos zone for 5,000 associated producers and tens of thousands of coffee pickers and related workers. CoopeTarrazú strives to build a social solidarity economy, where the search for solutions for the members of the community prevails over the interest of profit. The coop has contributed greatly to the region’s community assets, including education, arts, sports, and more. Of its thousands of members, 80% are small producers (4 hectares or less), 14% are medium-sized producers (4-10 hectares) and only 6% are large producers (more than ten hectares). About a third of its producers are women.