PHILOCOFFEA 229 COSTA RICA Don Mayo La Loma Caturra

La Loma Farm, located in the Llano Bonito Leoncortes highlands of Costa Rica, was purchased by Carlos Montero and his father in the late 1980s. Originally a vacant piece of land, purchased and started to grow coffee, Carlos bought the land back from his brother and rebuilt it into a coffee farm. Approximately 3 hectares of Catuai grapes are still under cultivation, and the natural shade provided by banana, citrus, mango and polo trees promotes the health of the trees and contributes to the quality of the wine. In addition, the Piris River Basin's climate, mild sunshine and good ventilation provide an ideal environment for harvesting high-quality cherries.
La Loma Farm is run by Donmayo Micromill, a company known as the pioneer of micro-milling in Costa Rica. Especially during the refining process, thorough quality control is carried out, including specific gravity vibration sorting in the parchment state. This effectively removes unripe and incomplete beans and selects only fully ripe and packaged beans. In addition, Donmayo Micro Mill is committed to researching new varieties and drying methods, and regularly wins awards in competitions such as the Cup of Excellence.

The weather was getting colder and I wanted to drink a cup of mild and soothing coffee, so I chose Costa Rica. I have the impression that Costa Rica is more acidic, but this time the coffee has a hint of sweetness and the overall taste is mellow. It feels a little calmer. Initially I wanted to go for a medium roast, which would be on the sweeter side, but when I tried baking samples I thought the ingredients already had a strong sweetness to them, so I ended up going for a light roast. I wanted to create a soft and well-balanced cup, so I slowly added heat starting in the first half of baking and allowed about 1:20 of development time.

Combined with the smooth texture, the flavor is reminiscent of nuts like hazelnuts and almonds. As the temperature gradually drops, you can feel the sweetness of red apples, dried oranges and other fruits. The finish leaves a tea-like finish and a soft sweetness that naturally makes you want to take another sip. Although it doesn't have a flashy taste, you can feel that it is a well-crafted good coffee with a soft taste.
Please try Costa Rica, it will fit into your daily life and make your days better.