Las Lajas Finca Mirella

Farm Info Producer : Oscar and Francisca Chacón Region : Sabanilla de Alajuela, Central Valley Altitude : 1,400-1,600m above sea level Varietals : Caturra, Catuai This coffee is a perla negra micro lot from the famous Las Lajas Micromill in Costa Rica. The owners, Oscar and Francisca Chacón, are third-generation coffee producers but the coffee is more than just in their family heritage: It's in their hearts and souls as well. The couple is committed not only to farm in an environmentally and socially responsible way, but also to produce coffee of the highest quality. They are innovative with regards to processing and were one of the early innovators in Costa Rica with regards to perfecting different honey and natural methods of processing. In 2005, after years of delivering their cherry to a cooperative for the going market price, they decided to join the brand-new "micromill revolution" and buy their own depulper to have more control over the quality and the price they received for their lots. "At first, we didn't know what we were doing," Oscar explains. "We were just experimenting." That experimentation led to some of the most exciting new flavor profiles we have ever tasted: Now, the Chacons produce a wide range of Honey process coffees, modulating the drying time in order to create different effects in the cup. Necessity bred more innovation for the family when an earthquake in 2008 wiped out electricity and water to their area during the harvest. Unable to run the depulpers or to wash the mucilage off to produce Washed lots, Francisca took inspiration from her knowledge of African coffee production and quickly built raised beds on the property. Their Natural lots caught the attention of the coffee world and the rest is history. These days, Las Lajas focuses on several variations of both Honey and Natural process. Perla Negra or “Black Pearl” is a process developed by Oscar and Francisca Chacón at Las Lajas. This is a natural process, where the ripe coffee bean