#GETITBREWED 048

The guys @whitestarcoffee invited me down to their Roastery on Fountainville Ave, Belfast to talk to me about this exciting coffee and #gift me with a box to try out, It was great to finely visit their roastery (which you wouldn’t even think was there from the road) but even more so to meet the guys behind these beautifully roasted coffees 🙌🏻. This coffee is an Black Honey - F1 Hybrid. That makes it sound like a spaceship or something 😂 but it’s actually a cross between an Ethiopian landrace and Sarchimor plant. Black honey is the most complex, laborious, and expensive Honey process. This is because it takes the longest time to ferment and takes up space on the drying beds for up to twice as long compared to yellow & red honey processing. This lot of Black Honey was dried on raised beds for 21 days.

The Duran family farm, Santa Teresa, is in the village of Sarchí in the West Valley. Eduardo works the farm with his three sons; one is actively involved in coffee and the other two work as software engineers. They all show great passion for coffee and to continue the work their seventy-year-old father has been doing for decades. All three brothers spent most of their school holidays working in the field either picking, stumping, or planting trees. The Durans recognize that, today, in addition to carrying on traditions, one must be innovative in coffee production. Kendall, one of Eduardo’s sons, is working hard with his brothers to help bring their coffee to better markets.

The farm sells the majority of its crop to CoopeNaranjo, the local cooperative, to ensure cash flow. The farm consists of different plots of land, each between two and three hectares. The lowest plot is 1100 meters above sea level and grows healthy Sarchimor trees and an F1 hybrid variety, a cross between an Ethiopian landrace and Sarchimor. Other parcels range from 1300 meters to up to 1600 meter. These plots have different varieties such as Catuaí and Caturra as well as other new hybrids such as Centroamericano H1, H3, and H17. These hybrids can have great results in production levels and in the cup while being more resistant to disease and fungi.

THE COFFEE

Producer: EDUARDO DURAN Origin: Costa Rica 🇨🇷. Varietal: F1 Process: Black Honey Roast: Filter Taste Notes • They told me that this coffee tasted of Umbongo, Which for those of you who don’t remember it, it was a kids mixed Tropical juice drink and they aren’t wrong 😂 On my first sip all I got was Sweetness with a really Juicy - full body and a whole lot of Funkiness 😍. There was lots and I mean lots of Mango notes 🙌🏻 I thought the finish was quite dry and had great acidity which gave it a white wine taste (which surprised me) and as it cooled down it got even sweeter and I am dreading getting to the end of this bag 😭. Outstanding guys 🙌🏻 This is a first but I’m giving it a ⬇️ .

THE SCORE

🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖🎖 11/10