Climpson & Sons - Fields V17: Aquiares, Costa Rica

We are super excited to introduce a coffee from Aquiares in Costa Rica to our singles range. This coffee, from the Aquiares Farm, located on the slopes of the Turrialba Volcano, is an incredibly unique combination of Sudan Rume (an ancient Sudanese varietal) and Sarchimor (a hybrid of Catimor and Villa Sarchi varietals). Essentially this coffee has two rare components brought together into something very special - and available only for a short time. A washed coffee, Aquiares is perfect for filter brewing options, with flavour notes including green grape, passion fruit and a sweet caramel finish. In keeping with the forward thinking and very particular nature of this coffee, we've decided that the Centroamericano will be our new Fields coffee from August. The Fields was always envisaged as a showcase of the most experimental elements of what we do here at the Climpson’s roastery, and we feel that this coffee perfectly represents that approach.

Aquiares, founded in 1890, is one of Costa Rica’s largest and most historic coffee farms. Aquiares means land between rivers in the Huetar indigenous language and it certainly is at that: fellow Climpsonites, Nicole and Florian spent a lot of time trekking amongst the hills and rivers of the region a few years back. Coffee plots are interlaced with over a dozen natural springs and almost 20 kilometers in streams. It is these streams that form a network of natural corridors through the farm and provide a flourishing and healthy environment for local animals, birds and plant life.

The community of Aquiares sits in the midst of the farm and is home to almost 2,000 people. In the 1990s, the farm began a campaign to improve home ownership in the local community. Each worker was given a bonus for their years of service and the farm gave assistance to people applying for government loans. Today 96% of the Aquiares employees own their own houses. The farm and the community are mutually connected. The farm provides services, land, security and honest jobs. In return, the coffee farm has benefited from a well-educated community and relies on highly skilled professionals from its community to continue functioning. Such a level of interdependence has helped contribute to the sense of pride that Aquiareños take in both community and coffee.

We had the pleasure of attending a cupping with the farmer from Aquiares, Diego Robelo, in London in early August. It was great to hear first-hand from Diego the various innovations in Costa Rican coffee today. The Aquiares Estates have been working with World Coffee Research in varietal development as well as focusing on environmental factors such as combating climate change and working to lower their carbon emissions.