Costa Rica Arabica SHB EP, Santa Elena Estate Los Santos, Honey

Costa Rica, renowned for its lush rainforests, pristine beaches, rivers, and rich biodiversity, is a global favorite among travelers. In addition to its natural beauty, the country boasts a long-standing tradition of producing high-quality coffee, cultivated since the early 19th century across eight distinct regions.

Located in San José province, Los Santos is a mountainous region in central-southern Costa Rica, encompassing the cantons of Dota, León Cortés Castro, and Tarrazú. The Santa Elena Estate, situated in Tarrazú, is owned by Luz Marina Trujillo, a third-generation coffee producer. Through her leadership, the farm takes a holistic approach to sustainability, minimizing synthetic inputs and utilizing a closed-loop fertilizing system that composts discarded coffee pulp also using worms. Their water treatment system meets the Costa Rican government’s high environmental standards, and preserves the cleanliness of the river that flows through their land. In addition, the farm works in line with NAMA Café Costa Rica to achieve lower CO2 emissions.

This lot consists of 100% Catuai and Caturra coffee varieties. In recent years, the farm has also introduced other varieties such as Catigua, Pacamara, Victoria 4, San Isidro 49, and SH3. While most of the coffees from Santa Elena Estate are washed, this honey-processed lot highlights their innovative approach. During the harvest season, spanning from November to March, ripe coffee cherries are hand-picked and brought to the wet mill, where they are floated to remove any defects. The cherries are then depulped and directly laid on patios to dry under the sun. At this stage, the parchment absorbs the sweetness of the mucilage, resulting in the distinctly sweet and intense profile of honey-processed coffees. Finally, the coffee rests in “silos” (warehouses) before being cleaned and prepared for export.