Costa Rica Hacienda Sonora

Tastes Like: Mango  Caramel  Molasses  Rum & Raisin Chocolate
 
The Hacienda Sonora Estate has been in Alberto's family for over a century, with him taking over management in the 1970's when he began planting coffee on the farm.  Alberto invested in a mill on the property in the 1990's in order to maximise the quality of the coffee and to experiment with what were then alternative processing techniques.  Currently Sonora has over twenty different varietals of plants, and an additional twenty hectare section dedicated as  forest reserve.
 
This microlot utilises the varietal 'Catimor 51', which was developed in the area to be more resistant to leaf rust, while presenting a bright, sweet and well balanced cup.  The coffee at Hacienda Sonora is hand picked, and floaters removed initially in tanks to mitigate defects.  After floating the coffee is taken to drying patios which were designed to slow down the drying process to aid complexity.  This lot was dried over a period of twelve days.  After drying it was stored in a humidity controlled warehouse for three days, and then mechanically dried for uniformity.  Once it has reached a moisture content of 10.5% it is then left to rest as dried cherries for a full two months before being milled and sorted.  Due to Alberto's investment, all of this is able to be achieved on the farm.
 
All of this effort amounts to a highly fragrant and complex cup with flavours of mango, molasses, caramel and chocolate rum and raisin.  It is well balanced, with a bright acidity reminiscent of passionfruit and a smooth and syrupy body and a lingering toffee finish.   
 
Available for either espresso or filter coffee brewing.