Costa Rican coffee is really GOOD
Costa Rican coffee is good, like really good—From the beginning, 8th & Roast has worked hard to have delicious and dynamic Costa Rican coffees available for our customers, and last year, we kicked it up a notch with the help of some amazing producers and import partners!
In May 2022, we began working with Hacienda La Minita to bring in some really special coffees from the Tarrazu region. The first one we released was Santa Maria de Dota—a washed process coffee from several smallholder farmers in the Santa Maria de Dota region.
When we first cupped this coffee a year ago, we knew immediately that we had to buy as much as we could of it—and this year, we bought even more! It's an incredibly versatile coffee that stands well on its own and adds something special to any blend we bring it to!
Because it was received so well, we knew we had to go down and visit. Being on the ground in-country helps us get a better idea of not only where our coffee comes from, but how it is processed and the care that goes into it before it is shipped to us in Nashville. With that in mind, we packed our bags in February and traveled to Costa Rica to meet the amazing folks behind the coffee we buy.
Our trip started with a drive from Juan Santamaria International Airport out of San Jose and then through miles of twisty mountainous roads outside the capital city. After a couple of hours, we arrived at the farm’s guesthouse and prepared to head to the Santa Maria de Dota area.
The coffee we buy from this area is made up of coffee from several smallholder farmers, who bring their harvested ripe cherries to collection points set up in the area by Hacienda La Minita. After the cherries are unloaded, they are weighed and the farmers are paid on the spot for their coffee.
One of the farmers that contributes to this lot is Don Rafa, a smallholder coffee producer who, along with his brothers, owns a farm on an especially hilly mountainside in the community of Canet. With the help of hired seasonal harvesters who pick the coffee at exactly the right time, Don Rafa is able to sell his coffee to La Minita at a premium, which processes them into the green coffee we buy and roast for our customers.
We were fortunate to meet with him and so many amazing people behind the coffees from Hacienda La Minita. One of the highlights of this trip (and any origin trip) was sharing a bag of roasted 8th & Roast coffee with the farmer who grew it! Coffee producers rarely get to see the end result of their labor, so we always make sure to bring samples of the roasted coffee for our new coffee friends.
Currently, we feature this coffee in our French New Wave and our Cold Brew Blend, in addition to serving it as a delicious single-origin. We’re also excited to announce that in addition to fresh crop Santa Maria, we’ll be releasing several outstanding coffees from Hacienda La Minita this year, including some really interesting alternative processes and an incredible washed Villa Sarchi micro lot!
In the gallery above, you can see photos from our time in Costa Rica, from the coffee farms, to the mills where the coffees is processed and eventually bagged before shipment.