Costa Rica: Don Joel - Finca La Cumbre, Maragogype

Fresh orange with a drizzle of honey sweetness is balanced by the zing of raspberries. That sweetness lingers on and shifts into mango on the finish and aftertaste of this juicy and balanced cup.

The Story Behind This Coffee

We've been buying from Allan Oviedo Rodriguez and his family since 2017, building a relationship that spans both of their farms (Finca La Cumbre and Finca Carmela) in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica's renowned Western Valley, near San Luis de Grecia. Their Don Joel micromill, situated on La Cumbre at around 1,600 metres above sea level, expertly services both farms and occasionally processes small lots for neighbours when there's capacity.

What makes this region fascinating is that despite the farms being only five minutes' drive from each other on opposite sides of the same hill, they exhibit remarkably different microclimates. Rain may reach one side of the mountain but not the other. Strong winds can damage one farm whilst the other remains sheltered. These factors might seem small, but they profoundly impact when the coffee plants flower, how much sun they receive, and whether they sustain damage. It all adds up to create distinct character in the cup.

Allan's Journey

Allan has been producing coffee in the area for eighteen years. He grew up in a coffee family, learning traditional producing methods alongside his father, Don Joel, and his brothers. During those early years, he witnessed firsthand the difficulties of making a living as a coffee farmer - often poor returns for demanding work, coupled with ever-increasing costs of living.

When Allan inherited La Cumbre after Don Joel passed away, he was determined to implement changes to improve their situation. During his early years of ownership, he worked as a taxi driver in San Jose by night and managed the farm by day to make ends meet. But owning the farm was his dream, and he remained ardently focused on providing his family with security.

The Maragogype Discovery

Finca La Cumbre primarily grows Catuai, Villa Sarchi, Kenya, and Geisha, along with some smaller crops like Maragogype. A few years ago, whilst visiting the farm, our green buyer Roland and Allan took a walk to the very edge of the estate. Roland noticed some visibly different plants and asked what was growing - the Maragogype trees immediately stood out.

You can identify Maragogype apart from other varietals on a farm straightaway. Everything about the plant is huge. The varietal is famous amongst brewers for its exceptionally large bean size, but it's also notably tall and bushy with big leaves compared to other cultivars. Originally a Brazilian varietal, it's relatively rare to encounter Maragogype on its own these days - it's far more common to see Pacamara (a Maragogype/Pacas hybrid) in specialty coffee.

With only about 500 Maragogype trees on the entire farm, this crop had never been partitioned off for separate processing. It was simply mixed in at the mill with other varietals as part of the general estate lot. Roland asked Allan if he'd be willing to isolate the upcoming harvest, and a plan was devised.

Back in the UK, time passed with no word. Roland hassled our exporter and received a "yeah yeah, we'll do something"… nothing happened. Anyone who knows Roland knows he's a keen bean - he hassled some more, finally secured a sample, and it was delicious.

Off the back of that first tasting, we've now arranged for Allan to separate this Maragogype lot every year. We pay a premium, partly because it's genuinely exceptional coffee, and partly to account for the extra work required at the farm to process it separately for us.

If you would like to find out a little more about Maragogype, check out our dedicated varietal guide here!

Why This Coffee Is Special

This is probably one of our Green Buyer Roland's personal favourite coffees for the whole year. He loves everything we buy and all the people we work with (of course!), but on a blind cupping table, he really loves how this tastes. The Maragogype varietal seems to give this lot more exotic fruit character than you'd typically find in a Costa Rican coffee profile. It has all the sweetness and juiciness we expect from Costa Rica, it's unmistakably from the Western Valley, but the Maragogype brings a distinctly tropical twist that sets it apart.

• Country: Costa Rica
• Region: Western Valley
• Province: Alajuela
• Canton: San Luis de Grecia
• Farm: Finca La Cumbre
• Micromill: Don Joel
• Producer: Allan Oviedo
• Elevation: 1,600 m.a.s.l.
• Processing method: Honey
• Varietal: Maragogype

(Cup of Excellence Scale)

• Clean Cup: 6/8
• Sweetness: 6.5/8
• Acidity: 6.5/8
• Mouthfeel: 6.5/8
• Flavour: 7/8
• Aftertaste: 6/8
• Balance: 6.5/8
• Overall: 7/8
• Total Score: 88/100

Medium

Maragogype can be tricky to roast due to its very open, porous cell structure. We roast at a steady pace with gentle heat, finishing at the end of the gap before second crack begins.