Costa Rica San Diego Tarrazú Natural Anaerobic

About the Coffee

Producer: Various Smallholders, Beneficio San Diego Mill
Region: Tarrazu, Costa Rica
Altitude: 1450-1750 meters
Varieties: Caturra, Catuai
Processing:  Natural Anaerobic Fermentation
Flavor Notes: Raspberry, Cocoa Nib, Hibiscus, Black Tea, Winey
Cup Score: 85.5

About Beneficio San Diego Mill

Beneficio San Diego is the most modern mill in Costa Rica. It was established in 1888 and has been innovating ever since. Today Beneficio San Diego specializes in coffees from Tarrazú and Tres Rí­os regions. The mill takes pride in striving for ever-increasing efficiency and quality standards. At the same time it has taken a leading role in working with producers to ensure good community relations and sustainable production.

About Anaerobic Fermentation

This anaerobic processed coffee starts with the careful harvest of fresh cherries at peak ripeness, achieving a high sugar content—our team aims for a Brix degree of 26. This concentrated fruit sugar fuels the fermentation process.

During fermentation, whole coffee cherries (with the fruit intact) are placed in an oxygen-free environment, naturally stimulating anaerobic fermentation. This process develops lactic and malic acids in the tank, resulting in a coffee with complex flavors.

Beneficio San Diego has dedicated years to refining its anaerobic processing infrastructure, establishing precise temperature and time controls to ensure the fermentation enhances the coffee's natural flavors. The flavor profile of this Tarrazú Natural Anaerobic coffee features spicy notes of cinnamon and cloves, beautifully balanced with the rich florals of hibiscus and rose hips.

Coffee from Tarrazú

Tarrazú is the most famous – and highest-producing – coffee region in Costa Rica. The canton was awarded Denomination of Origin status in 2019, and its distinctive cup profile, with fine acidity and full body, is why green coffee from Tarrazú is differentiated from the broader Los Santos area. Here, the focus is on quality over quantity, and the coffee in this lot grew on altitudes ranging from 1,450 to 1,750 masl. The red clay soil, humid climate, and tropical temperatures with an average of 24ºC help nurture some of the best coffee in Costa Rica.

Costa Rican Coffee

Costa Rican coffee producers are highly innovative, embracing new trends in agriculture and fermentation techniques to continually improve coffee quality. While the Caturra variety is still prevalent, it's being replaced by more sustainable varieties like Obata due to challenges like pests and disease. The country's eight coffee-growing regions, influenced by diverse terroir, offer a rich variety of flavor profiles, with unique microlots produced through processes like honey and anaerobic fermentation.

Costa Rican Coffee History

Costa Rica's focus on social equality, universal healthcare, and education since abolishing its military in 1948 has contributed to peace, prosperity, and environmental conservation. The country's coffee industry is highly regulated, ensuring fair wages and sustainable practices, with producers receiving about 80% of the coffee's value.

Costa Rica prioritizes quality over quantity, reflected in its unique system of measuring coffee cherries by fanega (a unit of volume), encouraging the selection of the ripest cherries for premium coffee. Although Costa Rica’s coffee production has decreased since the country’s peak in the 1990s, the country’s brand recognition garnered over the decades has earned high international value for Costa Rican coffee.