About Carlos Robles of Costa Rica

RYS is a family-run micro mill and business owned by father Carlos, and brothers Leo and Elian. The micro wet mill is located at 1500 masl, in El Balar, and the family has been processing their own coffee for 13 years as some of the pioneers in processing in Tarrazu. The Robles brothers are doing great work in Costa Rica, as they are open to feedback and experimentation with their processing. Starting from doing mostly honey and naturals, they are now using a fermentation tank to do double washed and different fermentations with their lots, believing that the extra effort is worth it because they are able to achieve better cups and better prices for their coffees. The lot, El Cerro, is the highest point of the farm, and is at its peak. The farm gets 2 different kinds of exposure depending on the time of day and weather in the region. It is also one of the newest sections of the farm with the youngest and most vigorous trees, producing large quantities of ideal coffee cherries.

For this lot, after selecting the ripest cherries, they bring the coffee to the wet mill that is located on the farm in a close proximity- which adds in value to the quality of the coffee. They float the cherries in water to separate out undesirable cherry from ideal ones. They then place the coffee cherries on concrete patios in large mounds and leave it untouched for 3-4 days. This allows a natural fermentation to occur on the hot patio. Then they move the cherries to a static mechanical dryer that works with heat at low temperatures over long periods of time to dry over a weeks time. They let the naturals rest in closed, secure sacks with the pulp and parchment after drying for about a month. This method allows the coffee to absorb some of the properties and flavors from the parchment that will add complexity to the cup.