Geography
and climate are factors that confer the ability to harvest a fine coffee. The
combination of soil, temperature, sunlight, and wet and dry seasons must all meet
the right formula.
The small, high mountainous Costa Rican Tarrazú region, south of San José,
has the ideal conditions.
If
you want outstanding Tarrazú coffee you are probably going to find it in San
Marcos de Tarrazú.
Tarrazú Coffee Farms are the highest altitude coffees from this origin, and
the last coffee cherry to ripen is the highest altitude which are located
in Tarrazú County. Gravel roads connect the farms with the
nearby towns of Santa María, San Pablo and San Marcos, famous around the world for being the towns where pioneers exported the first
Tarrazú coffee bags to Europe. Each farm is managed by its owners who take care of the process, from
planting the trees to bringing the coffee cherries to the mill.
These
farmers are the backbone of our export operation since they are experts coffee
growers who have spent all their lives learning their trade. All of them come
from families involved in growing and exporting highland coffees since the
1890´s . There are around 30 people working full time in the operation.
Tarrazú
Coffee Farms has always been concerned for the environment. The costly
investment in woodlands and shade trees on their farms is a good example. For many years
they have taken
care of a 100 hectare forest reserve located in San Pedro, La Guaria and Naranjillo. This
reserve is near the Los Santos forest reserve and Manuel Antonio National Park
in Quepos, which is visited by thousands of tourists a year. Their effort is
aimed to keep the forests in the upper section of the Naranjo and Pirris river
intact.
A
coffee tree takes 4 years from planting to first harvest. Any decision in
using certain variety of coffee is carefully examined. The coffee trees must
be plague-resistant and above all able to give an excellent cup. The coffees
they harvest include not only the classic Typica variety but also the modern
Caturra Arabica variety.
Because everything is
done by hand, growing coffee is like taking care of a garden. The process begins each April with the coffee trees flowering
after the first rains. Harvest begins in October and ends around Mid March.
Tarrazú coffee has been recognized for many years among the great gourmet
coffees in the world. Using this superb raw material, they have taken the
time, the effort and cost to prepare a coffee that no one can match. They have a
crew of pickers well trained to harvest only the ripest of cherries. It is
important for the quality of the cup that the cherries are harvested at the right
time. This is why each tree is visited up to 4 times in order to obtain only
the very best of the fruit. We harvest all the coffee beans by hand to ensure
the quality of the bean and the cup.
At the mill, extreme care is given while handling the coffee beans. The last
step is a special hand sorting to remove any defects.
After
this operation is thoroughly completed, the green coffee is bagged in small
burlap bags for those who like to roast at home. The demand for our
high-quality, freshly roasted coffee is high. To guarantee the richest
aroma and flavor, they package and ship their coffee fresh for your enjoyment.
From seed to cup, they take our time to deliver the finest coffee in the
world.
