Description
Hand-picked ripe coffee cherries (InterAmerican Coffee)
Strictly Hard Bean • Single Origin • 100% Premium Arabica Coffee
This coffee is developed for InterAmerican by NKG export company Ceca and each year deliver a cup that meets the same profile: sweet and balanced, creamy body, bright acidity, and notes of milk chocolate, citrus and caramel.
About this coffee:
Costa Rica boasts eight coffee growing regions, the most famous of which is Tarrazú which is located in the interior mountains of Costa Rica between the Pacific Coast and the Talamanca Sierra. This geography traps coastal moisture, retaining it as precipitation and when combined with high altitude and ample sunlight, coffee here performs beautifully. The region is known for producing coffees that have distinctly acidic qualities, mainly due to the sedimentary soil composition that characterize the land.
Tarrazú is the market name for the coffees produced and processed within the region. San Rafael Tarrazú, named after coffee pioneer, comprises of Caturra and Catuai varieties, is grown between 1,200 and 1,800 meters above sea level and is sourced from 1300 producer families in the Tarrazú region.
Coffees go through a rigorous harvesting procedure wherein only the ripest cherries are chosen by hand to guarantee the best possible flavour development. A number of small farms, each with an average size of 2.5 hectares (6.1775 acres) and many producing fewer than 10 bags per crop, take their coffee to be milled at NKG Beneficio Palmichal micro-mill where it is meticulously sorted using quality-focused techniques. Every stage of the process, from the time the beans are harvested to the last step in the cup, is characterised by a commitment to excellence and a passion for quality.
About a two-hour drive from San Jose, Tarrazú is filled with roads and coffee plantations that wind around the mountainside. The main source of income for the local economy is coffee cultivation and export, making successful harvests essential to the socioeconomic success of the region. This can be seen most during harvesting season, when the population of Tarrazu nearly triples.
In Costa Rica, the grade of coffee is determined by the hardness of the bean, a factor which is dictated by the altitude at which the beans are grown. The highest-grade coffee is labeled Strictly Hard Bean or SHB and is reserved for coffee grown above 3,900 feet (approx. 1,200 meters). It is estimated that nearly 95% of beans grown in the Tarrazú region fall under the SHB category.
DID YOU KNOW? The Tarrazú growing region of Costa Rica is known locally as “Los Santos” because of its cantons (similar to towns) that are named after various saints.
Nick Mann –
Very Smooth, good as espresso.
Nick Mann –
The chocolate notes really leave a mild smooth finish
Ben Blackmore –
Beautiful, not too fruity as it may seem, just such a smooth and soft taste that stays on the palette ever so wonderfully!
Lex Stephens –
I am not a coffee connoisseur but this is my favourite Granite Goat coffee to start every morning. It is smooth and mellow and the taste lingers as I read my book each morning. I love it and cannot get enough of it!
David Firth –
I could really smell the citrus when grinding the bean, but it is pretty subtle in the brew, which suits my palate well. I find this “soft & smooth” in the mouth with the taste remaining for quite a time.
I think this is about the best I have tasted yet …