Costa Rica Aguilera Brothers
Reg Grape, plum. Tart & Crisp.
Experience the quality of Aguilera Brothers’ coffee, crafted with generations of expertise and a deep commitment to community, tradition, and sustainable cultivation.
YOUR PERFECT CUP, FROM THE GROUND UP
The Aguilera's, a Cup of Excellence-competing family, carry on their coffee growing legacy by cultivating and processing coffee on their 60 hectares of combined farmland, an endeavor that began with their father in the 1940s. The 12 siblings share responsibilities, with Felipe and Erasmo managing most of the mill and drying operations. Their main crop is Villa Sarchi, complemented by about 20 other varieties, including this San Isidro 39.
Each harvest season, they hire up to 100 local pickers, paying a premium for red cherries over anything else to encourage diligent sorting. This payment system rewards pickers for selecting only the ripest fruit, which is essential for areas of the farm that are challenging to access for frequent picking.
The drying process takes place on tarps near the family’s micromill, where the coffee shares a field with a community soccer field built by the Aguilera's for local pickers and school groups, reflecting their deep-rooted commitment to the community.
The family manages several farms, including Angelina, Chayote, Dago, Edgar, Licho, Tacal, and Toño in neighbouring areas.
ORIGIN
Los Robles de Naranjo, West Valley, Costa Rica
VARIETY
San Isidro 39
PROCESS
Anaerobic Honey
Roasting:
In honey processing, some of the coffee cherry mucilage (the sticky, sugary layer) remains on the beans during drying, which contributes to the final flavour profile. The degree of fruit character—often tasting like ripe fruit, can vary depending on how much mucilage was left on, the drying duration, and other environmental factors. This is why honey-processed beans often land in a flavour spectrum between washed (clean, crisp) and natural (fruity, intense) processed coffees.
This lot is full mucilage with minimal fruit during drying so the coffee itself and the resulting cup profile preferred heat application more suited to a washed coffee over that of a natural processed lot. I went for clarity, acheived by a lower end roast temp coupled with a slighter longer development time to round out the intense phosphoric acidity present at shorter development times.
PRODUCER
Aguilera Family
RELATIONSHIP
First year purchasing
ORIGIN PARTNER
Cafe Imports
HARVEST
July to October, landed Aug '24
Brewing:
Like always, I aim to replicate a cupping bowl on ever brewer I come across. With Honey and Natural processed coffees I Opt for full immersion brews to highlight the textural aspect of the coffee and highlight the time mucilage has been in contact with the coffee seed.
BREWER
Immersion
RATIO
1:17
DOSE
15 GRAMS
WATER WEIGHT
200 GRAMS