Altos
Altos del Abejonal sits at 1800 metres above sea level in the Tarrazu region, only 70 kilometres south of the Costa Rican capital San Jose. The Talamanca Sierra runs through the region, with peaks of above 3000 masl. The farm is also close to the regional capital of San Marcos, which sits at 1350 masl and is home to 9000 people, providing the hub to an area famous for its high quality coffee production. The volcanic soil and afternoon cloud cover in the region provides the perfect conditions for Mauricio to produce excellent coffees at Altos.
As we know from our many years of purchasing his Natural Catuai, Mauricio’s work really stands out in his processing. This is the first time we have purchased an Obata varietal from Mauricio. Obata is a high-yielding hybrid varietal, initially released in Brazil in 2000 and popularised there before making its way to Costa Rica over the past decade or so. Obata has parentage in Timor hybrids and popular Costa Rican varietal Villa Sarchi, making it an easy choice here.
The flavour profile is often clean and neutral, with terroir and processing shining through clearly. Mauricio uses the same protocol as the Catuai we’re so familiar with, dried on raised beds for around 21 days, turned often to avoid over fermentation.
This adds a controlled level of ferment character to the cup, just enough to reveal a character with deep sweetness, reminiscent of caramel and milk chocolate, while remaining fresh with notes of ripe citrus. A rather different fruit profile from the Catuai, and with a deep sweetness and brighter acidity.
Mauricio
We first met Mauricio by chance. In March 2014 we were in Tarrazu, travelling around farms as guests of Exclusive Coffees, an exporter based in the region. After the last farm visit, our driver had to make a quick errand to see a friend, whose son had broken his hip and couldn’t leave home. The driver dropped off a gift for the boy, while we made conversation with his father. He was also a coffee farmer, and told us stories of his passion for coffee production and of how his son wanted to become a barista. We visited Altos again the next day, and bought our first couple of bags. 2024 is our tenth year buying coffees from Mauricio.
In 2023, we visited Exclusive’s cupping lab in San José, cupping through Altos day lots together with Mauricio Jr., who’s now a qualified cupper, and takes responsibility for processing at the farm. This year, Junior was able to make the return trip to visit us in Copenhagen, touring our roastery and coffee shop in the city. The hard work and dedication shown by Mauricio and Mauricio Jr. at every stage of coffee production is obvious in the cup, and we are proud to showcase their work to so many of those who truly appreciate it.
