Costa Rica - La Mininta Estate Tarrazu

Roughly the size of Vermont and New Hampshire with greater than twice the population, Costa Rica is borderer north by Nicaragua and south by Panama with the Pacific Ocean west and the Caribbean Sea east.

Columbus bestowed the name Costa Rica, translated Rich Coast, on his fourth and final New World voyage in 1502 after encountering aboriginal’s adored with large quantities of gold jewelry which, being that the country was described by a Spanish governor in 1719 as the “poorest and most miserable Spanish colony in all America”, is highly ironic. A lack of resources, particularly gold and silver, and a lack of an indigenous population available for forced labor, preventing the establishment of large plantations, contributed to Costa Rica being largely overlooked by the Spanish Crown. With further irony, this lack of Spanish interest for “poor” Costa Rica spawned a type of “rural democracy” and egalitarian society… small blessings come in unexpected ways. Historically, the result is a more peaceful and politically stable disposition than its fellow Latin American neighbors, particularly Nicaragua directly to the north, resulting in uninterrupted democracy dating to at least 1948. 

Costa Rican’s affectionally refer to themselves as “Tico”, a term of endearment and national identity, and often offer salutation of “Pura Vida”, translated Pure Life. It reflects the countries philosophy of a simple life… stress free, positive and relaxed. This historical perspective is an encouraging lesson of how past experience and disposition have a dramatic effect on future events.  With a 97% literacy rate and 79-year average life expectancy, statistics appear to support the “Pura Vida” lifestyle. This forward-looking philosophy has influenced a Costa Rican coffee culture that is always ahead of the quality curve producing a bright and lively coffee with snappy acidity and sweet finish.

After traveling 6,607 miles south from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska on the Pan American Highway, a 19,000-mile motorable roadway from Alaska to Chile, we cross the border into Costa Rica from Nicaragua. Another 207 miles traveled south finds the capital of San Jose with 32 miles more south finding the coffee producing area called “Los Santos” in the coffee region of Tarrazu located in the countries center on the slopes of the Quepos Mountains. Here we find Hacienda, translated estate, La Minta, translated “the small mine”, where local legend lores pre-Columbian indigenous people searched for gold. Today, the treasure are those small caffeinated natural nuggets that we endear. This is not the typical 8-acre micro-lot familial tended farm which combines with a co-operative of locals to achieve economies of scale for processing and distribution.  Hacienda La Minta is a 680-acre 1,700,000 coffee tree enterprise boasting one of the worlds most modern milling operations and employing a core of 80 highly skilled full-time employees augmented by 150 contracted laborers, utilizing no herbicide and only machetes, for weed control and 600 pickers during the harvest. Neither is insecticide used with the fortunate geographic advantages of climate and altitude limiting pest in addition to careful cultivation and weeding techniques maintaining healthy trees. Although larger than most micro-farms, La Minta is dedicated to meticulous cultivation, which is manifested in a delicious brew, with size giving it more direct quality control leverage.  Although this is not your small farm, neither is it the large corporate entity departing from quality to squeeze out quantity.

 Your Costa Rica La Mininta Estate Tarrazu, cultivated between 4265-5906 feet, is complete with the bright acidity and medium body expected in a high-profile cup. The bean is wet-processed, with the entire cherry fruit flesh removed allowing for a clean cup but maintaining a distinct citrus orange essence. The classic Costa Rican fine chocolate overture with a classic caramelized sugar finish is unmistakable.  The cup offers the elegance of a finely honed Rubenstein Chopin concerto and the balanced pomp of a Peterson jazz piano rendition. You will experience transcendence during your morning sacrament… enjoy while reminiscing on the lovely mountains of the Tarrazu “Los Santos”.

Process: Wet… entire cherry fruit flesh is removed from the bean which is subsequently dried.

Elevation: 4265-5906 feet