Coffee Description
Dona Francisca and Don Oscar Chacon have built quite the reputation for their farm Las Lajas in Costa Rica. We were honored to visit and select two amazing micro-lots in March. Francisca and Oscar Chacon's commitment to excellence shines through in this coffee with a bright apple-like acidity and chocolate malt sweetness. The only thing that rivals their commitment to excellence is their willingness to host guests on their beautiful farm. This is the beginning of a great relationship.
Roast Level from the Roaster
Refers to the roast level in comparison with other coffees from the roaster
Light
Process
Honey
Elevation
1450 masl
About Francisca & Oscar Chacon of Costa Rica
The Las Lajas micromill is located in the Sabanilla de Alajuela region of Costa Rica. Francisca and Oscar Chacon greet you in the driveway with huge smiles and a willingness to show you their stunning farm. Their pride is evident as they show you each immaculate step the coffee goes through. It all starts with their farming practices; Las Lajas is a certified organic farm.
These third-generation producers focus on preserving the environment while maintaining the highest quality coffee. Their micromill is immaculately clean, keeping the processing standards they are well known for; the Chacons were some of the first to do high-quality naturals and honeys in Central America.
The last step of quality and care takes place on the drying patios and beds. This is where we believe Las Lajas is truly advancing coffee. Oscar told us that he strives to focus on drying coffee the same as a roaster focuses on roasting, by paying close attention to curves and data. They have become so precise in their processing that they have been able to produce several offerings under various monikers; this particular coffee is their Yellow Honey, which is achieved by turning the coffee, with its complete mucilage left intact, hourly. All this hard work shines through in a cup of coffee that is as crisp as it is sweet, all while being strikingly balanced and intriguing.
Onyx Coffee Lab
Lest the myth perpetuate that specialty coffee does not come from Arkansas, Onyx Coffee Lab is blowing that particular urban legend out of the water while creating a few of their own. Husband-wife owners Jon and Andrea Allen have rapidly taken the coffee world by storm with their combination of art and science.
The magic starts with sourcing, with countless small sample batches from coffee importers and with direct visits to farms around the world. "I know direct trade means a lot of different things to different people, but for us if we don’t put money in the producers hands we won’t call it direct trade," says Jon. Once found, the coffees are carefully roasted in twenty-pound or smaller batches, then shared with the three Onyx cafés and over 150 wholesale customers in thirty states.
Clearly Onyx Coffee Lab knows what they're doing: this northwest Arkansas matrix of coffee know-how routinely cleans house at the U.S. Coffee Championships; Andrea Allen placed first in the 2020 Barista Championship, while Elika Liftee placed first in the 2020 Brewers Cup Championship, and they both went on to the 2021 World Coffee Championships to place in 2nd place for Barista and 3rd place for Brewers Cup. Onyx has been chosen by Architectural Digest as Arkansas' most beautiful coffee shop, garnered multiple Good Food Awards, and been described as the "Best bags of coffee you can buy online" in GQ.
