Artisan Roast: Costa Rica, La Roca, Don Sabino Micromill, Natural

The Central Valley in Costa Rica in many ways epitomises the country's emotional bond to quality coffee, with the lines between capital city and coffee farm blurred as they meet. Travelling into the zone of farms and micro-mills from San Jose, its not long before some of Costa Rica’s most regarded producers have their farms.

The Don Sabino micro-mill in Sabanilla is less than a decade old and has transitioned in this short space of time to exclusively producing natural process coffee. Father and son partnership Hiver and Estevan dry all their coffee on raised beds and take a more terroir focused, less process dominant approach to their post-harvest production.

The outcome is a delicious and moreish coffee with subtlety and refinement. The main flavours of dried fruit, maple syrup and creamy nougat work effortlessly with a smooth and silky sweetness. The acidity is low to medium in intensity but complex, grapelike, and long lasting.

This all makes for a versatile coffee for brewing and whether you drink filter, French Press or espresso, La Roca is a delicious coffee. Filter leans to the maple syrup and nougat like aspects of the coffee while aeropress or French press will bring out dried fruit and underlying tropical fruit notes.

Nougat and maple syrup are very much brought to the fore in espresso. Our starting recipe on a La Marzocco GS3/VST20g basket/EK43 grinder brews a silky sweet espresso with almond nougat, maple syrup, dried fruit and mandarin orange citrus on the finish.