Costa Rica – Cordillera Del Fuego 250g

Luis Eduardo Campos, the owner of this farm, is one of the pioneers of anaerobic coffee, he was the first coffee farmer in Costa Rica to buy tanks to do this unique fermentation process. To date, he has 3 vats allowing him to produce just 6 bags of coffee per day. 

Luis developed his anaerobic processes after observing the fermentation process of wines and guessing that using a similar method with coffee could develop deeper, more complex flavours. The process starts with mature coffee cherries that have a high sugar content – measured by a Brix meter – which can feed the anaerobic process. The variety is not the most important factor, but he has found that Yellow Catuai works well. Luis has three tanks for his anaerobic process, and the tanks are tightly packed – with the addition of mucilage (coffee pulp) from another lot – in order to avoid oxygen entering the process. Fermentation lasts between 22 and 24 hours, with the temperature kept just under 10°C. Fermentation must stop when the sugar in the mucilage has been eaten up, but before alcohol is produced. During the fermentation the release of CO2 exerts pressure on the grains, enhancing flavour. Temperature, pH and Brix measurements are the three most important factors in Luis’ anaerobic process. 

After fermentation, the coffee is dried. As it is soaked in extra mucilage, it takes longer than usual to dry. It is spread in layers of 7cm and turned every 20 minutes for the first few days. Each of the three tanks can only produce two exportable bags of coffee per day, and the extra drying time and the turning increase labour costs. The result is a product that commands a premium.