Coffee Description
This naturally processed coffee has become a staple in our offerings from Central America. Las Lajas is the premier coffee mill in costa rica and this lot highlights precisely why they're heralded as the best. Expect notes of grape, with an inherent sweetness of semi-sweet dark chocolate. We love this coffee for its versatility across brewing methods and extractions.
Roast Level from the Roaster
Refers to the roast level in comparison with other coffees from the roaster
Medium
Roast Level according to Crema
Refers to the roast level in comparison with all the coffees on Crema.co.
Light
Variety
Catuai
Process
Natural
Elevation
1600 masl
Region
Alajuela
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. The micromill is precisely clean, maintain 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 Perla Negra, a natural-process coffee by which whole cherries are turned hourly on raised beds.
Alajuela, Costa Rica
Our coffee expert
Aubrey Mills
6+ years experience as Coffee Taster, Wholesale Director, barista and Coffee Quality Director.
Aubrey Mills is steeped in coffee. Not literally, of course, but since 2013, she’s been preparing and tasting coffee for a career. Initially as a barista at the Portland, OR Insomnia Coffee and Dapper & Wise, her job was to stay on top of quality and help customers find coffees they were excited about. This involved tasting all the coffees they’d be serving that day, dialing in espresso or approve a drip recipe.
She soon became Director of Wholesale at Dapper & Wise, where she regularly cupped at quality control cuppings with the team, hosted cuppings for the public and trained wholesale partners on proper coffee preparation. In the role of helping to maintain Dapper & Wise’s menu of diverse flavor profiles, roast levels and processing methods, Aubrey also visited coffee producing countries. She says, “Traveling to origin and experiencing the beginning of the coffee journey has given me greater perspective for how many variables can impact flavor in the final cup.”
Along with her on-point palate and killer coffee know-how, Aubrey brings creativity, sparkle and grace to everything she does, actively looking for opportunities to showcase the value of specialty coffee and address sustainability issues in the industry.
had this to say:
Aubrey Mills is steeped in coffee. Not literally, of course, but since 2013, she’s been preparing and tasting coffee for a career. Initially as a barista at the Portland, OR Insomnia Coffee and Dapper & Wise, her job was to stay on top of quality and help customers find coffees they were excited about. This involved tasting all the coffees they’d be serving that day, dialing in espresso or approve a drip recipe. She soon became Director of Wholesale at Dapper & Wise, where she regularly cupped at quality control cuppings with the team, hosted cuppings for the public and trained wholesale partners on proper coffee preparation. In the role of helping to maintain Dapper & Wise’s menu of diverse flavor profiles, roast levels and processing methods, Aubrey also visited coffee producing countries. She says, “Traveling to origin and experiencing the beginning of the coffee journey has given me greater perspective for how many variables can impact flavor in the final cup.” Along with her on-point palate and killer coffee know-how, Aubrey brings creativity, sparkle and grace to everything she does, actively looking for opportunities to showcase the value of specialty coffee and address sustainability issues in the industry.
"Densely sweet and balanced, this coffee is an approachable display of a naturally processed coffee. I taste blackberry compote, strawberry ice cream and sugar cookie. The linger is long and sweet with a silky mouthfeel. "
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.
