Don Eli - White Honey
MEET THE PRODUCER | This coffee is a real family effort! Imported by our friends at Selva Coffee and produced by the father / father-in-law of that husband-wife duo, Carlos Moreno, this lot was processed at a wet mill bearing Carlos's father's name and touched many familial hands on its way to Raleigh, North Carolina. The Moreno family are well known in Tarrazu region of Costa Rica; they've been called visionaries, game changers, and even pioneers in the specialty coffee game there. Over 20 years ago, when he took over the family operation, Carlos Moreno had a bold vision of not just farming coffee, but also processing it and selling it directly to consumers and roasters. Fast forward to 2014, when Carlos had constructed the wet mill that now bears his father's name, and the rest, well - you know how it goes.
TRUST THE PROCESS | If you didn't know better, you might think this is a washed coffee upon first tasting it. The impact of the white honey processing method is very light, leaving us with a lovely, fresh, clean cup of coffee. For this method, the coffee cherries arriving at Don Eli Wet Mill are sent through a pulping machine and a mechanical demucilager before being spread out on raised drying beds for about 12 days, during which time they are moved around by hand every couple of hours. Once optimum moisture content is achieved, the lot is bagged up and set aside to be dry milled on-site a few weeks later. In this final step, the parchment is peeled, and the coffee undergoes three layers of sorting: first by screen size, then by density, and finally by hand for defects.
TAKE A SIP | This coffee boasts a really vibrant acidity and is delightfully sweet. With notes of white grape, sweet oranges, and delicious almond toffee, it's a really lovely example of the excellent work being done by Carlos and his family on the renowned La Pastora hill in Tarrazu.
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Origin | El Llano de La Piedra, San Marcos, Tarrazu, Costa Rica
Producer | Carlos Montero
Wet Mill | Don Eli Wet Mill
Process | White Honey
Variety | Catuai
Elevation | 1800-2000 masl