Lica Torres - Anaerobic Natural Gesha

MEET THE PRODUCER | Nestled at the foot of Chirripo Volcano, the 3-hectare farm owned by Lica Torres and his family is one of only a few such courageous endeavors in Brunca, the southernmost growing region in Costa Rica. Conditions there aren't exactly idyllic: the soil is rocky, the incline steep, and the weather is often either a little too hot or a little too cold to grow any particular crop with tremendous success. Lica's father initially planted pine trees on the farm, but farming wood is a slow-going process that doesn't yield dividends very quickly. Enter: Lica's big idea.

Four years ago, Lica began to notice other families in the area growing coffee with some success, and he decided to take a big risk by planting a new, experimental hybrid coffee variety (called Milenio) on his farm, which sits at 1500 masl. The gamble proved tremendously successful - and we actually had the privilege of featuring one of his Milenio lots earlier this Fall! In the years since Lica planted those first Milenio crops, he and his family acquired more land at higher elevations, including a plot of land named El Mirador ("the viewing spot"), sitting at about 1800 masl. It is here, looking down over the village of Bueana Vista de Rivas below, that you'll find us sipping a cup of coffee from today's release.

TRUST THE PROCESS | As always, the coffee cherries are picked at peak ripeness and brought to the wet mill for processing. There, they get packed into sealed plastic bags for an initial fermentation round of 24 hours, during which time the mosto is collected. The coffee cherries and accumulated mosto are then relocated to sealed plastic tanks, deprived of oxygen for 100 hours of extended fermentation in a cool, shady place, and finally removed to raised drying beds where they are spread out in thick layers. These layers slow the stopping of fermentation and increase drying time, helping to preserve some of the most delightful flavors that develop from this processing. The beans are carefully and regularly turned throughout drying, a process which takes anywhere from 15-22 days. 

TAKE A SIP | You'll experience classic Gesha characteristics in this cup, like soft florals, complex citrus, and stone fruit (black cherry). But, thanks to all of that slow, extended fermentation, there's a little more UMMPHH to this coffee in the form of tropical fruit notes, like mango. We love a great Gesha and gravitate towards tropical nattys, and Lica's latest endeavor is giving us the best of both worlds. 

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Origin | Rivas, Brunca, Costa Rica

Producer | Don Lica Torres

Farm | Cerro Buena Vista

Process | Anaerobic Natural

Variety | Gesha

Elevation | 1800 masl