Oscar and Francisca Chacón are third-generation coffee producers, but the coffee
is more than just in their family heritage: It's in their hearts and souls as well. The
couple is committed to quality and innovation, and are among the very first farmers
in Costa Rica to produce Honey and Natural process specialty coffee.In 2005, after
years of delivering their cherry to a cooperative for the going market price, they
decided to join the brand-new "micromill revolution" and buy their own depulper to
have more control over the quality and the price they received for their lots. "At first,
we didn't know what we were doing," Oscar explains. "We were just experimenting."
That experimentation led to some of the most exciting new flavor profiles we have
ever tasted: Now, the Chacons produce a wide range of Honey process coffees,
modulating the drying time in order to create different effects in the cup.Necessity
bred more innovation for the family when an earthquake in 2008 wiped out
electricity and water to their area during the harvest. Unable to run the depulpers
or to wash the mucilage off to produce Washed lots, Francisca took inspiration from
P# 24234
Farm Las Lajas
Process Red Honey
Variety SL-28
Elevation 1400–1600MASL
Region Central Valley
Country Costa Rica
Harvest December–April
her knowledge of African coffee production and quickly built raised beds on the
property. Their Natural lots caught the attention of Cafe Imports' founder Andrew
Miller, and the rest is both history and our-story.Las Lajas owns and the following
farms for cultivating their coffees: Calle Liles, Calle San Juan, Los Angeles, Los
Pinitos, Sabana Redonda, Sabanilla, San Luis, Calle Lajas.Here is a list of their most
common processes and what steps are taken to achieve
them:ProcessDescriptionDrying TimeResting timeWhite HoneyThis is a semi-
washed process, where the ripe beans brought from the farm are classified to
obtain those with a high percentage of brix degrees, then depulped and the
mucilage removed mechanically. The coffee is immediately transferred to the
greenhouse patio for dehydration. During the first day of drying, movements are
carried out around 3 times until the end of this process; This being a mechanical
demucilagenation, the seed maintains a certain amount of honey during the drying
process.From 3 to 4 days60 days or until exportation Yellow HoneyThis is a honey
process, where the ripe beans brought from the farm are classified to obtain those
that are 100% ripe, then they are depulped and immediately transferred to raised
beds. During the first day periodic movements are made (3 to 4 times a day), this
with the aim of reducing the humidity of the coffee. This is an extremely fast drying
process.One week60 days or until exportation Red HoneyThis is a honey process
where once the ripe beans have been classified, they are pulped, leaving 100% of
the mucilage and then transferred to raised beds. On the first day of drying, the
beans do not receive any movement until the second day, when they begin to
move twice a day, to reduce the humidity of the coffee.From 7 to 15 days60 days or
until exportation
Per Cafe Imports
