Costa Rica: Don Mayo - La Ladera

This dessert in a cup begins with soft, cooked down peach before finishing with a sprinkle of brown sugar. On the aftertaste is a delicate strawberry edge, rounding out this well balanced, all day coffee. 

Our relationship with the Bonilla Family and their Don Mayo micromill stretches all the way back to 2012, we couldn’t be prouder to still buy Costa Rican coffee from them all these years later. During that time, Don Mayo has gained a huge reputation across the world as a producer of delicious coffee, and this lot is a perfect example of the great cup quality they are famous for. A favourite for us year on year, their Honey processed Catuai. 

The mountain landscape provides perfect conditions for the production of high-quality specialty coffee beans. The plants thrive in rich, volcanic soils at an ideal average temperature of just under 20°C and the steep slopes providing the right balance of high altitudes for slow cherry maturation and shelter for the delicate Arabica trees. 

Tarrazú - Iconic For Costa Rican Coffee

The Tarrazú canton sits halfway down Costa Rica, towards the western coast. Located in a stunning valley surrounded by mountains that are part of the Talamanca Sierra. It is famous for producing some of the very best coffee in the country, with coffee production being the main industry for local residents, making up a whopping 95% of the local economy. During the harvest in December, January and February, the area’s population triples with seasonal workers needed to bring in the crop.

On The Farm 

La Ladera, located in the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica, is owned by Pablo Bonilla. The farm spans 20 hectares and is situated at an altitude of 1,850 meters, which allows different coffee varieties to thrive at various elevations. Catuai coffee plants grow well at higher elevations, while Caturra is suited to medium and lower areas. In previous years our lots from La Ladera have been a mix of Catuai and Caturra but for the last 2 harvests the varietals were separated and we have been able to buy just the higher growing Catuai crop. 

The farm emphasises sustainable coffee production by planting native species alongside coffee crops to maintain ecological balance. Additionally, wastewater is treated to prevent pollution, and a small hydroelectric plant is used during peak harvest. 

La Ladera employs a team of 120-130 pickers during the harvest season, primarily from Panama. The farm has been hiring the same core group of pickers for the last two decades, providing them with transportation and accommodation. 

At The Mill 

After harvest, the single origin coffee is processed at the Don Mayo micro mill, also owned by Pablo Bonilla. The Don Mayo micro mill is one of the oldest and most respected micro mills in the country. Established in 2003 by Hector Bonilla and his sons, the mill has been innovative in creating an economically and environmentally sustainable farm-to-mill operation under the Bonilla Family Estate. 

The mill processes coffee from its own farms, such as La Loma, and also buys whole cherries from local coffee farmers to sell as individual micro-lots. Don Mayo is equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and is committed to producing high-quality coffee. This commitment is demonstrated through the mill’s success in Costa Rica’s Cup of Excellence competition, having auctioned more than 35 lots through the competition and placing first in both 2009 and 2020. 

Environmental conservation is a key focus at Don Mayo. The mill minimises water usage due to government restrictions and uses coffee pulp and parchment as fuel for cooking and mechanical dryers, as well as fertiliser. This approach ensures that nothing goes to waste and supports sustainable coffee production.

• Country: Costa Rica
• Zone: Los Santos
• Province: San José
• Canton: Leon Cortes
• Farm: La Ladera
• Micromill: Don Mayo
• Producer: Pablo Bonilla
• Variety: Catuai
• Process: Honey
• Elevation: 1,850-1,900 m.a.s.l.

Tasting notes: Peach, brown sugar, strawberry.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean Cup: (1-8): 6
• Sweetness: (1-8): 6.5
• Acidity: (1-8): 6
• Mouthfeel: (1-8): 6
• Flavour: (1-8): 6.5
• Aftertaste: (1-8): 6.5
• Balance: (1-8): 6.5
• Overall: (1-8): 6
• Correction: (+36): +36
• Total (max 100): 86

If you'd like to find out more about how we score coffees, make sure to read our blog post “What Do Coffee Cupping Scores Actually Mean?” and if you'd like to try cupping yourself, we've got a guide to that too! What is Coffee Cupping.

Medium - Through the gap and don't let this go too far towards second, let the simple sweetness shine.