Costa Rica has a reputation within the top layer of speciality coffee for producing very consistent, well balanced, good acidity but a somewhat tame character. Although one of our first ever favourite coffees, our interest waned a little as other origin coffees competed for our attention. This small country has relatively less distinct regional diversity than one might find in Guatemala for example. The Costa Rican coffee industry is so well controlled with has such high standards that it has tended to limit experimentation and innovation targeting for efficiency and volume rather than discovery and quality. Big centralized mills and storage silos, business consolidation, and an emphasis on high yield made necessary by rising land costs had an impact on individual flavour character for the worse. For this reason we have focused our efforts on selection where we can have greatest impact on the quality of the coffee.

Lying between two volcanos, Poas and Barva, the Zamorana Farm has near perfect conditions for growing superb coffee. Lush fertile soils, high altitude and a balanced microclimate give the Zamora family a big advantage. The farm was established almost 100 years ago, but their coffee had always been sold to the local mill, losing its identity by blending into all the coffee produced in the local region. However, at the beginning of our relationship with the Zamora, they constructed their own wet mill (Beneficio) facility which allowed us to select their coffee as a single defined estate. Now we are into our sixth year of working with the Zamora family and greatly appreciate the effort the family has made to continue to develop the quality of their coffee. We believe that long term relationships are the essence of our capacity to source such high quality coffee. The family run their farm according to traditional principles, living on the farm with two sons of the five Zamora children.

The younger son, Diego, is an agronomist with full-time responsibility for the coffee cultivation and processing. Diego has initiated many of production quality improvements that we have seen. These include upgrading to an eco-pulping system for the post harvest processing which allows further conservation of water. These obligatory environmental standards for processing and water treatment should be seen as a model for other coffee producing countries. Extension of the drying patios now ensures all their coffee is fully sun dried, developing the sweet honeyed notes that are so tantalising in the cup. Even training the temporary workers who are recruited during the harvest season to pick only the perfectly red ripe coffee cherries which ensures that the best quality is selected takes a spirited determination to remain true out in the field. Like in all countries where coffee is produced, there is mediocrity and there is greatness. Our tactic has been to get out there and dig around and encourage the treasures to be coaxed out to develop their true identity. In Costa Rica we are happy as they have set out to crank their quality up further. I cannot remember a Costa Rica tasting this persuasive.