Written by:
14/09/2011 9:02 AM 

This year we are lucky enough to have secured limited amount of one of the world’s finest coffees.
The varietal is the very rare Geisha varietal. Geisha Coffee plants are known for their elongated fruits, or coffee cherry, and the Geisha coffee is distinguished for its light body with honey and citrus flavors that provide an outstanding taste profile and cup character. It is a very low yielding quantity coffee, so it is never used for plantation farms. The varietal was first discovered in Abyssinia in southwest Ethiopia in 1931, and was first brought to Panama and Costa Rica in 1963. Panama and Costa Rica are the only countries in the world that produce Geisha Coffee and quantities are very limited and therefore very expensive. This Geisha coffee is fully washed and sun dried.

A bit about the farm:
La Candelilla de Tarrazu is located in San Lorenzo de Tarrazu, an area that combines spectacular countryside with a rich coffee tradition. Tarrazu is a rural community well known through the world as a leader in the production and processing of excellent coffee.

The plantation, La Candelilla, is located in La Sabana on the south bank of the river Pirrís, 1.2km west of the centre of San Marcos de Tarrazu. The plantation was begun by Mr. Victor Mora, one of the first settlers of the Los Santos region, around 1900. The mill was opened by Rafael Sanchez and his wife, Lucia, in the summer of 2000 and his entire family works on the estate.

The owners of La Candelilla de Tarrazu are committed to environmentally friendly policies in all the processes and cultivations of its coffee. The determination is to produce the highest quality coffee while respecting their neighbours and workers.

Characteristics of the Region:
The region has an average rainy season of six months (May-November) and is mostly dry the remainder of the time. This situation favours a concentrated flowering of the plants. Average precipitation is 2,000 mm annually and the average mean temperature is 19ºC.

Altitude and Soils:
Coffee produced in the region is grown between 1,200-1,900 metres above sea level, with this crop grown at 1750 metres. With soils mostly acidic and of sedimentary origin, these conditions are ideal for the cultivation of the coffee. The largest part of the cultivation is under the shade of either native or imported trees.

Harvest Period:
The harvest is completed during a five-month period, November-March. This coincides with the dry season which allows for the most efficient use of the sun, thereby permitting a uniform maturation and high quality fruit in the drying process.

The history of the Los Santos Region:
In the middle of the 19th Century, emigrants from the central valley, principally from Alajuelita and Desamparados, arrived in the southeast part of the valley forming an important region today known as Los Santos - many cantons and cities are named after saints eg. San Pablo de Leon Cortes, San Marcos de Tarrazu, Santa Maria de Dota.

Protected by the Bustamante and Dota mountain ranges, on the pacific slopes, this region is home to exotic birds, lush forests and produces excellent coffee planted in the small valleys and foothills of the mountains.

With the arrival of the central valley settlers, who brought with them coffee plants, the coffee culture was established. Around 1935, coffee in the Los Santos region was the second most important crop. During this period, coffee began its rise to a fundamental socioeconomic force in the region. Currently the region produces between 380,000 and 400,000 fenegas of uniformly mature cherries (96,520 tons) annually.

Located 70km south east of the capital of San José this region produces a variety of Arabica with the following characteristics: low port, bluish colour, flat form small size, and good appearance.

The Geisha coffee will arrive here at Merlo soon, so stay tuned for tasting notes from our cupping session.

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