SL28
Natural
Hacienda Sonora

Tastes Like: Redcurrant, Pink Grapefruit, Black Tea

Origin: Hacienda Sonora, Central Valley, Costa Rica

Variety: SL28

Producer: Alberto & Diego Guardia

Elevation: 1300 masl

Process:  Natural Piramide

Farm and Producer

Alberto and Diego Guardia run Hacienda Sonora in Costa Rica’s Central Valley, near the foot of Poás Volcano. Alberto invested in the farm’s own mill in 1999, and Diego joined the operation in 2011. Coffee grows among shade trees beside protected forest, while a hydroelectric generator supplies power to the mills. Keeping processing on the farm allows the family to separate varieties such as SL28 into individual lots.

Variety

SL28 was selected in Kenya in the 1930s and has since spread to other coffee-growing countries. It combines drought tolerance with high cup-quality potential; growing conditions and post-harvest work shape the expression of each lot.

Processing

This coffee, in particular, was dried using a "Piramide" process, where the coffees are covered early in the afternoon when the temperature is hot, then piled up in a pyramid layered way to modulate the temperature of the cherries throughout the day. This helps to even out the fermentation and avoid the development of "boozy" flavours sometimes associated with naturals.