Cafés Lugat Coffee Beans Rio Jorco from Costa Rica - 250g

The Tarrazu region, also known as "Los Santos" , is home to some of the most exceptional coffees in the Central American mountains. Catuai and Caturra Arabica beans are grown there.

With plenty of shade from inga and avocado trees, the region offers the ideal conditions for the cherries to ripen slowly and progressively. Coffee grown in this region develops special organoleptic properties as the cherries are harvested late in the season (they are light when ripe).

According to Costa Rican history, the first coffea plants were imported from Cuba in 1779. They were planted in 1854 by English visionaries, who had arrived to develop imports and exports in the area.

Costa Rica was the first country in Central America to produce coffee commercially. Innovative scientific and agricultural methods greatly improved growing and processing procedures and the country quickly became a role model for its Central American neighbours.

Nowadays, Costa Rica is particularly renowned for its shade-grown coffee . These exceptional agroclimatic conditions are enhanced by the ecosystems' location on high valleys and plateaus. Coffee from Costa Rica is considered a Specialty Coffee just like famous coffee from other countries such as the Ethiopian Sidamo or the Jamaican Blue Mountain or even coffee from the Antigua region in Guatemala .

The Costa Rican climate changes over the seasons: the rainy season helps the cherries to grow and develop, then the dry season coincides with the harvest. Since the creation of the Costa Rican Coffee Institute ( ICAFE ) in 1993, the country's plantations have committed to growing in a socially and environmentally responsible way. Production costs are therefore slightly higher than before. The association has recently carried out studies to map all coffee plantations and analyse their performance.