Every year we wait impatiently for the coffees from Aquiares, Costa Rica to arrive. And this is our flagship, Entre Rios. With this cup we enjoy a very round, balanced and unctuous body. Aromatic, with notes of orange and dates. It is sweet, with notes of chocolate and caramel, and has a long, slightly fruity cherry aftertaste.
Aquiares is owned by Diego Robelo and his family, and located on the slopes of the Turrialba volcano at 1400 MASL, it is the largest coffee plantation in a single block in Costa Rica. The land is bisected by several watercourses that connect the two large rivers that surround the farm, the Turrialba and the Aquiares. It is a majestic natural setting where a small pre-Columbian community lived hundreds of years ago and vestiges of which can still be found. This is the eighth consecutive year in which we have worked together and the seventh in which we have made a direct deal.
We negotiate the price directly with Diego and he acts as the exporter, so the commission also stays on the farm. We also import it ourselves, contracting the container directly from Costa Rica to Barcelona.
And this year we are even more proud to collaborate with Aquiares, as they have been certified by the sustainability consultancy Enveritas as a company that complies with the EUDR (European Union Deforestation Regulation).
"We have a great responsibility as coffee producers, not only to our immediate buyers but also to the future generations of Costa Rica," explains their CEO, Diego Robelo. "We are proud to have received this recognition from Enveritas and even more proud to have passed this test in our alliance with NOMAD COFFEE, with whom we have been working for 8 years. We can now guarantee to all our main customers that our coffee is and will continue to be deforestation free".
From NOMAD COFFEE we celebrate with joy the certification of Aquiares, a centenary coffee plantation active since 1890, which is also the largest in Costa Rica to be carbon neutral. But Aquiares' efforts are not limited to this: it has 620 hectares of coffee grown under the shade of trees and 200 other hectares of protected forests. Thanks to its dedication and savoir faire, it now exports to more than 20 countries.
Process
First, floating cherries and unripe fruit are removed. Optimum quality and heavy cherries are pulped using a "Penagos DCV 306". The mucilage is removed mechanically using a "Penagos delva", before the cherries are taken to the tanks for partial fermentation (6 hours). Pre-drying is done in a "Centriflux" machine before sending to the drying area.
Mechanical drying: 32 hours of drying in "Guardiola", range 45º-55ºC. Two 2-hour breaks during the day ensure slow and uniform drying of all the beans.
Stored in parchment for a minimum of two months before preparation, and packed in 69 kg GrainPro bags in jute.
When replicating the recipe, there are different variables that can interfere in the final result of your cup, such as the roasting date, conservation of the beans, environment, water, state of the machinery, etc. It is important to keep in mind that all these factors can influence and you may have to make small adjustments when replicating this recipe.
Recipe
18 gr dry
36 gr in liquid
27 seconds
Machine: La Marzocco Micra
Mill: Mythos one
Recommended mineral water: Lanjarón
DS and extraction percentage: 9,26 / 19,49 %.
