COSTA RICA - El Bosque BV - Red Catuai - Natural Process 250g
A glorious Central America treat in strictly limited quantities. Costa Rica's micro lots are really leading the way in the world of fine coffees and this one is an absolute gem!
Creamy cocoa, peach, ruby grapefruit, green apple, grape, dulce de leche.
Get it whilst you can!!
Coffee Details
LOCATION: Santa Maria de Dota, Tarrazu
ALTITUDE: 1900m
Alto El Vapor is the result of a Costa Rican family business in the rural area of Santa María de Dota, known internationally for its high-quality coffee. Alto El Vapor is a name that expresses the phenomenon of fog settling at high elevations. The name of the micro-mill was inspired by this natural phenomenon, as the overall altitude of the farm reaches up to 2,000 meters.
This project began in March 2020 during the COVID pandemic, led by Doña Mayra along with her son and two daughters, focusing on producing high-quality coffee and providing an unforgettable experience to all consumers. The project started when her children, who had graduated from university and returned home, decided to join their mother Mayra's dream. This is a family that always strives to add value to coffee through processing, learning cupping directly, roasting, and constantly considering ways to continuously improve quality. As a testament to this, Delfina competed in the Costa Rica Barista Championship in 2023. Delfina's husband, Eduardo, is also the Costa Rica Cupping Champion.
Alto El Vapor is a small-scale project filled with the love and belief of families dedicated to social and environmental welfare. The coffee itself is grown on the Alto el Vapor farm, of which 90% is a natural conservation area. There is also a spring within the farm that supplies water to part of the Santa María de Dota community. The family mostly protects rather than destroys the farm, preserving the habitat for surrounding flora and fauna. On the farm, coffee is located between 1,800 and 2,100 meters above sea level, resulting in Alto El Vapor being a high-altitude coffee. These factors, along with the traceability provided, ensure excellence, dedication, and love in every coffee bean the family harvests.
Given that the family resides in a rural area, they are committed to integrating sustainable development practices on the Alto el Vapor farm. While the main goal is to produce specialty coffee, they also grow citrus fruits, bananas, root vegetables, and green vegetables among the coffee plants. In this way, Alto El Vapor avoids monoculture and operates as a circular economy.
2020-21 was the first year Mayra and her three children processed and sold coffee under their own brand. Although Mayra, as a lifelong coffee farmer, had received awards for their excellent coffee from international buyers, including those from Japan, they never before had the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of their coffee or actually taste it!