Costa Rica Cafe Vida

Taste: Café Vida captures the classic profile of a Washed Costa Rican coffee, with up-front sweetness, mild nuttiness, and sparkling but gentle citric acidity. These are easy-drinking coffees that work well as approachable single-origin brews, or as a sweet base in a blend for any application.

Roast:  The typically bluish, well-polished beans make a classically complete coffee, regardless of the roast.  We love it at Medium/Dark (Full City Roast), pulling the beans 10-15 seconds after 2nd crack has begun.

About: Costa Rica is the second smallest nation in Central America. Nestled between Nicaragua and Panama, the name means “Beautiful Coast”. Famous for it’s democratic government and peaceful political tradition, Costa Ricans are also proud of their educational system. Approximately 90% of the people are literate: one of the highest literacy rates in the world.

Coffee was first introduced to Costa Rica in 1808 by Cuba. At the time, the country was in desperate need of an exportable and taxable crop. Coffee now accounts for one-quarter of the country’s income from exports, placing it first on the list of commercial crops which also include bananas, sugar cane, tobacco, cotton and cocoa.

Costa Rica produces about 2.6 million bags of washed Arabica coffee from over thirty thousand farms, ranging in size from a few acres to several thousand acres. The coffee is grown primarily in the Meseta Central, the countryside surrounding the capital. The central plateau is surrounded by rugged mountains, including several volcanoes, two of which are still active.

Four of the famous coffee districts are San Marcos de Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Heredea and Alajuela. Grown on both the Atlantic and Pacific slopes, the altitudes range from 1600 to 5500 feet. Pacific growth comes in four grades. Strictly Hard Bean (SHB), accounting for nearly 40% of the crop, is the top grade, indicating coffee grown above 3900 feet. The next grade is Good Hard Bean (GHB), indicating coffee grown from 3300 to 3900 feet, followed by the Hard Bean (HB) and Medium Hard Bean (MHB). Atlantic growth is graded by altitude as well, titled as high grown, medium grown and low grown Atlantic.

“Cafe Vida” is a signature offering from one of our suppliers, and captures classic characteristics of a washed Costa Rican coffee, suitable for both blending and as an accessible and crowd-pleasing single-origin option.

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