[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n
When we look at a beautiful harvest, or when we taste a brilliant cup, we tend to want to romanticize it: We imagine rolling hills and bright blue skies, the smell of fresh coffee blossoms, the sway of the shade trees. What we don\u2019t think of are the countless steps that the producer went through to create that dreamy flavor experience, and the dozens of decisions that have to be made before, during, and at the end of the season in order to sustain or even improve the final product.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/CR53537.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro 2″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n
In this year\u2019s dispatch from the harvest in Costa Rica, we\u2019ll take a look at a few of the most significant choices a producer must make, some of the things about which they have no control, and what see how a few of our producer partners manage the complicated strategizing that specialty coffee requires. We’ll also give you insight into how this year’s crop has been panning out so far.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Variety” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n
Variety<\/strong><\/p>\n One of the first\u2014but certainly not the most basic\u2014steps of establishing, expanding, renovating, or improving a coffee farm is selecting which varieties to plant. To a non-farming coffee professional, this might seem like a simple step: Plant the ones that cup the best. However, there are myriad factors that contribute to the success or failure of a coffee crop even before the cupping stage, and the farmer needs to consider carefully what combination of genetic characteristics are valuable to him or her.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Variety 2″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Steven Vargas and his father, Gilbert, owners of Don Sabino Micromill, have some of the highest-elevation farms in the Central Valley, including Finca Orvo, a 7.7-hectare plot they purchased a few years ago, that extends all the way to 1,670 meters above sea level. At that height, the plants will naturally be stressed: They metabolize and mature more slowly, which also means it\u2019s important to select for productivity. One of Steven\u2019s deciding factors in selecting a variety to plant is whether the tree develops secondary branches, which allows it to bear more cherry. This quality of what\u2019s called plagiotropic branch growth, isn\u2019t found in every type of coffee: Gesha\u2019s a no, for instance, while the more localized Costa Rican cultivar Villa Sarchi is a yes.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/DJI_0090.jpg” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Finca El Orvo” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Finca “El Orvo”<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Variety 3″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n In West Valley, Carlos Barrantes and his wife, Diana, have been meticulous and methodical about experimental varieties, making sure to test them thoroughly before renovating sections of their farms with something risky. For the past several years, the couple behind La Perla Del Cafe has collaborated with local agronomists for several plant trials: Carlos manages his farm so closely, and his quality is so reliable, that the agronomists use his farms as a kind of seed bank. They provide seeds for a new type of coffee, such as Typica Mejorado, or \u201cImproved Typica,\u201d and Carlos returns an equivalent amount of seeds when the plants mature and produce, if they are good enough quality to share with others. (The Barrantes currently have around 200 plants of the Typica Mejorado, which was developed for cup quality and sweetness; time will tell whether the seeds will be returned for further propagation.)<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/CR20995.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/CR10077.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Variety 4″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n One of the things Carlos specifically looks for in his variety selection is how evenly the coffee ripens at the particular elevation and in the microclimates of his various farm plots.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/CR10609.gif” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Finca El Orvo” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n La Perla del Cafe<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Variety 5″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u201cIf they ripen late, it delays the harvest, the processing, the pruning,\u201d he explained recently (in translation thanks to Francine Ramirez, the green-buyer\u2019s associate for Oxcart Coffee\u2013Cafe Imports Latin America). Ripening also has direct effects on the picking staff: If the trees ripen uniformly, it’s easier for the pickers to focus their time and energy in a more strategic way. Uneven ripening means that they need to scatter, return back through rows they\u2019ve already picked through, and can change the duration of the harvest season, which greatly impacts their families\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Processing” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Processing<\/strong><\/p>\n Once the coffee plants are planted, once the cherry is harvested ripe (and hopefully all at roughly the same time), the producer has another important decision to make\u2014this time about post-harvest processing.<\/p>\n Before the 2000s in Costa Rica, all smallholder producers delivered their cherry to a centralized mill or cooperative for Washed processing: The farmers\u2019 job was to plant, maintain, harvest, and transport intact coffee fruit, which would be sold at a set rate to the next agent along the chain of custody. On the one hand, it meant that farmers could focus on the agricultural aspect of coffee cultivation, rather than get involved with the commercialization of the seeds. On the other hand, it meant they also had little to no control over the price or the finished quality of their yield, and prevented many producers from developing their own mark, brand, or specific clientele.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Processing 2″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Over the past two decades, a \u201cmicromill revolution\u201d has taken place throughout the country, with more and more producers investing in wet-mill and drying equipment in order to more vertically integrate their production, take control over the quality of their product, and establish names, brands, and clientele bases for their own coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cIn 2005, we bought a small depulper, but we didn\u2019t know yet what we were doing,\u201d says Oscar Chac\u00f3n of Las Lajas Micromill in Central Valley, which he owns and runs with his wife, Francisca. \u201cWe were just experimenting.\u201d The Chac\u00f3ns had previously delivered all of their coffee to a mill for cash, but they wanted to capture more of the value. \u201cThe first depulper we had wasn\u2019t doing the correct job for Washed lots,\u201d he says through Francine\u2019s translation. \u201cIt was still leaving 50 percent of the mucilage on the beans. Visitors would say, \u2018This is wrong!\u2019 But we were doing what we were told.\u201d After several years of tweaking their process, however, the Chac\u00f3ns became the standard-bearers for Honey coffees in the country, and their lots were winning prizes\u2014and hearts\u2014year after year.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Sequence-01.gif” align=”center” max_width=”75%” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Processing 3″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Just over a decade ago, the couple had to make another difficult choice: After a large earthquake wiped out electricity and water to the area, Oscar and Francisca couldn\u2019t turn on the machines in order to produce Washed or even Honey coffees. Instead, Francisca took inspiration from common drying practices in Africa, where coffee cherries are often spread on raised beds to dry completely in their fruit. The Chac\u00f3ns built drying beds at Las Lajas and were among the very first producers to attempt Natural specialty coffee in the country. It wasn\u2019t an easy choice, though: \u201cIn our system, Natural coffee is considered a defect, dried in pods,\u201d Oscar says. They needed to find just the right buyers who would look at their problem-solving experiment and be willing to take a risk. Cafe Imports\u2019 Andrew Miller was one of those buyers, and the relationship between Cafe Imports and Las Lajas Micromill began.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Maintenance” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Maintenance<\/strong><\/p>\n Plant husbandry, tissue management, and farm renovation are some of the less-sexy parts of coffee, but they represent a huge portion of a producer\u2019s energy, time, and consideration. What happens during the off-season is just as important\u2014maybe even more important\u2014when it comes to setting a farm up for success.<\/p>\n Pruning is an especially delicate and significant part of a farmer\u2019s early plan, as coffee plants can only produce once on each node. That means that a plant will grow outward and upward in order to create new growth, both causing stress to its system and creating diminishing returns on productivity. By renovating tissue, producers can recapture their plants\u2019 productivity as well as avoid an unmanageable tangle of branches on the farm. Some farmers will stump a selection of their trees, cutting back the branches and stems to a literal stump and allowing them to regenerate; others, like Steven from Don Sabino, will cut back every third row after the plants have been produced for 3\u20135 years. The following year, he\u2019ll cut back the second row in the triad, and the last year he\u2019ll finish the cycle.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter three years, the trees will be as productive as when they were new,\u201d he explains, pointing to a row that was trimmed last year.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery producer has a different management system, and it\u2019s a hard decision to make because you will sacrifice some of your productivity no matter what you choose,\u201d explains Francine, describing methods that include row-by-row, plot-by-plot, or even whole-farm renovation techniques.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you cut a whole plot, it\u2019s like you\u2019re cutting a hole in your pocket,\u201d Steven chimes in.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/CR42824.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/CR53339.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/CR42276.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Maintenance” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Carlos has a similar strategy at his farms in West Valley: First, he plants two seeds in a single hole, which is typical of coffee producers in Costa Rica. Whichever grows stronger and more productive helps him decide which to prune and maintain. He also uses a technique in the fields to protect and encourage new plants\u2019 growth: Around the base of a row of newer plants, he and his workers will make a mound of soil, under which is packed chicken manure used for fertilizer. The raised mounds make it easier for farm staff to turn the soil when weeding, and it also locks in moisture more to help the roots endure the dry season. The piles of soil can also anchor the vulnerable trees, which is very necessary in a windy climate like Costa Rica\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cThis technique is very labor-intensive,\u201d Francine explains, \u201cbut it\u2019s also very practical.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”This Year” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n This Year: The Weather Is Calling the Shots<\/strong><\/p>\n With all the myriad decisions producers make and techniques they employ on the farm, there are still several things that are ultimately out of their control\u2014namely, the weather. This year, rain has been intermittent and unpredictable, which has meant that many producers have lower volumes and the harvest has been somewhat late. Rainy weather at odd times also makes drying exceptionally difficult, especially for producers with limited space or those who have Naturals or Honeys that rely on full sun and dryer air.<\/p>\n In fact, just these past few weeks, heavy unexpected rains during what’s traditionally a dry period (and the typical drying period for many coffees) caused several producers to lose some of their Natural lots: If partially dry cherries get soaked through, they run a huge risk of developing mold, rotten flavors, or over-fermentation notes. What does this mean for producers? “It means they have to invent a new process!” says Oxcart Coffee senior coffee buyer Luis Arocha, half-joking. Several producers have had to take their Naturals off the drying beds and depulp them, which is highly unusual and a necessary innovation this year. What it will do for the cups is yet to be seen, as it will still be a few weeks before the results are on the table for analysis.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/CR42857.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/CR42763-1.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/COL4931.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”This Year” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n (These heavy off-season rains have also caused some premature flowering on the coffee trees, Luis reports. He has spoken to producers in both Central Valley and Tarraz\u00fa who have expressed some concern about the uneven flowering and its potential effect on next year’s crop\u2014but time will tell, and unfortunately these are exactly the things that are out of a producer’s hands.)<\/p>\n According to ICAFE, the Coffee Institution of Costa Rica, the average productivity per hectare nationwide was 20.4 fanegas per hectare this year, compared with last season\u2019s 18.3\u2014though 2020\u2019s volumes are still predicted to be lower than ideal. (A fanega is a volume-based Costa Rica\u2013specific measurement roughly equivalent to 250 kilograms, or 400 liters, of cherry.) While yield per hectare is up incrementally this year\u2014and that\u2019s certainly promising\u2014the institution also reports that there are fewer registered coffee farmers this year, which might mean that farms are being sold and consolidated. Currently there are 38,804 registered producers, compared with more than 40,000 last year.<\/p>\n That said, our partners are hopeful for good quality and knockout lots from the earlier part of the harvest, before the odd rains. Individually, they have been making investments and improvements to ensure future growth: Steven has installed so many new drying beds at his mill that he ended up co-opting a family member\u2019s backyard to add more, while Oscar and Francisca have recently installed new wet-milling equipment (of their own design!) that makes their sorting and transporting of coffee easier, quicker, and more efficient. Carlos and Diana will see how their new varieties work out, and in the meantime they are welcoming their daughters into the management of the farm and mill\u2014their younger daughter, Sharon, even drives the family truck to transport cherries and depulped coffee beans to the drying structure.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is our heritage and it\u2019s the future for our daughters,\u201d says Diana Barrantes, and looking out over the new growth among the coffee rows and the impeccable sections of freshly drying coffee in their greenhouse, it seems clear that these choices mean much more than just the great cup of coffee we know is worth waiting for.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.7″][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_cta button_text=”Current Offerings” use_background_color=”off” background_color=”#7bb262″ border_style=”solid” custom_button=”on” button_url=”https:dev.cafeimports.com\/offerings\/#\/category=origins\/origin=Costa%20Rica\/” header_font=”Changa One||||” button_text_color_hover=”#ffffff” button_text_color=”#000000″ button_border_color=”#000000″ button_bg_color_hover=”#911814″ button_border_color_hover=”#911814″ module_class=”CI-divi-button1″ custom_css_promo_button=”width: 100%;||min-height: 90px;||” saved_tabs=”all” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.7″ \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When we look at a beautiful harvest, or when we taste a brilliant cup, we tend to want to romanticize it: We imagine rolling hills and bright blue skies, the smell of fresh coffee blossoms, the sway of the shade trees. What we don\u2019t think of are the countless steps that the producer went through to create that dreamy flavor experience, and the dozens of decisions that have to be made before, during, and at the end of the season in order to sustain or even improve the final product.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":44480,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-44404","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-costa-rica"],"site_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/australia\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44404","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/australia\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/australia\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/australia\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/australia\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44404"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/australia\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44404\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/australia\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/australia\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44404"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/australia\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44404"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/australia\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44404"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}