From our long term partners, Diego Robelo and his team in Costa Rica, we are so pleased to share with you: Aquiares Esperanza. It’s now the fourth year in a row that we’ve been working with Aquiares and that’s a testament to the strong bond we have built and the quality that Diego’s team have managed to consistently produce year after year! 

Aquiares places environmental protection at the forefront, focusing on carbon neutrality and measuring its greenhouse gas emissions to calculate its carbon emissions against its offsets. An agent verified under the International Panel on Climate Change norms verifies these calculations and Aquiares’ carbon measurement and emissions reduction are part of Costa Rica’s Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action.

In addition to capturing carbon, the farm’s protected biological corridors have long ensured the wellbeing of local animals and plants. Aquiares also welcomes researchers from around the world to conduct agricultural and environmental studies on their land. Projects have included investigating the benefits of agroforestry on soil health and observing the diverse bird and wildlife species that thrive in an agroecological environment.

As well as environmental protection, Aquiares innovates in experimenting with varietals in order to obtain extremely high flavour quality and agricultural efficiency. This particular coffee is from the Esperanza varietal, which is an F1 hybrid variety generated by a cross between Sarchimor T-5296 and wild Ethiopia ET-25. This variety is unique to Aquiares and is well suited to the farm’s terroir. The lot was honey-processed and dried on raised beds in a solar dryer for 18-24 days.

Juicy and fruity, we experience a lot of red berry flavours in the cup, alongside a nutty and pleasant, slightly herbal character.