Costa Rica La Candelaria Estate
ROASTING IN MAY: COSTA RICA LA CANDELARIA ESTATE
Sustainably grown coffees are a trademark of Costa Rica, and this batch from our friends at La Candelaria Estate is no exception. Anyone with a Peet’s subscription can access May’s unique offering. Not a member? Each month, our Small Batch Series subscribers experience incredible cups like this from all around the world, and you can, too.
WHERE FARM MEETS FOREST
La Candelaria Estate sits in Costa Rica’s celebrated West Valley and encompasses both farm and forest. In a country known for its commitment to producing exceptional beans sustainably, many farms here are passionate environmental stewards.
PRISTINE PROCESS PRODUCES PERFECTION
We’ve been roasting beans from La Candelaria Estate this estate for close to a decade, and their attention to good farming practices shows in each cup. This particular coffee is pristine and meticulously processed. Time and again we find ourselves irresistibly drawn to the smooth texture, sweet aromatics, and perfectly balanced flavors in every cup.
RIGHT ON TIME
We chose La Candelaria Estate as this month’s subscriber exclusive because of how perfectly it complements a late-Spring morning. Warm cocoa notes reflect the coziness of rising with dew still on the ground, while sweet Meyer lemon hints at the vibrancy of the day to come. Delicious both hot and flash-chilled, this makes for a well-balanced cup with a silken texture.
NOTES FROM THE ROASTERY
Upon arrival at The Roastery, this washed coffee from the West Valley region of Costa Rica filled the room with its sweet, grassy green aroma. The beans were small, and the color was a medium-light olive green with a lot of silver skin still present. There were no visible defects, which is to be expected from an estate like La Candelaria.
First crack was quiet, but it built up to a rapid and steady sounding consensus. Second crack was only audible during the roasts that went the furthest for the darkest color. The sweet smell of the green turned vibrant, reminding us of the fresh anisette edge of tarragon or fennel. Very nice…very nice indeed. This Costa Rican coffee was easy to handle and provided clear changes in color to follow while finishing even at lighter roast levels.
We were able to cup through all five profiles we test against when we roast fantastic lots from Costa Profiles. The Coffee Team felt this profile highlighted what they’ve been seeing on the cupping table out of Costa Rica this season: bright, floral, citrusy, and very sweet. We particularly enjoyed the texture of this winning roast profile—it was full and lingering with notes of almond butter and cocoa, brown sugar, Meyer lemon, and grapefruit. Really stellar floral aroma.
We recommend brewing this as a pour over or Chemex—and try tasting it black if you’re used to automatically adding cream. It’s so bright and sweet, we think it’s a stellar opportunity for coffee people looking to stretch their comfort zone in a drinkable way.
-John Nicolini and Michael Madden, Roasters
PEET’S LIMITED RELEASE COFFEES
You might think that a monthly coffee subscription sounds amazing in and of itself, but Peet’s coffee-of-the-month takes it a step further than most. Good things come in small packages, and we only get these coffees in small batches, which is why you can only find them at peets.com and you can only access them if you have a subscription. They’re special—their fleeting nature means they can sell out—fast. So subscribing guarantees you get to taste each one of these incredibly special lots.