Producer: Eduardo Duran
Farm: El Roble - Los Duran
Region: West Valley, Costa Rica
Variety: Sarchimor
Process: Black Honey
Altitude: 1375 masl
Harvested: 2023
Cupping notes: Orange, red apple, dried plums, dark chocolate. Sweet, round, and juicy. Long lasting aftertaste of chocolate.
Transparency - we believe in open and honest communication about our pricing. Here's a breakdown of what we paid for this batch of coffee:
-Coffee: 14.94€/Kg
-Shipping: 1.30€/Kg
-Packaging: 1.50€/bag
Quantity bought: 69 Kg
Sarchimor is a coffee variety developed through a crossbreeding program to create coffee plants resistant to various diseases with an exceptional cup profile. The name "Sarchimor" is derived from the combination of the words "Sarchi" and "Timor," representing the two main parent varieties.
The Sarchimor variety originated from a cross between the Villa Sarchi (a Bourbon mutation known for its good cup quality) and the Timor Hybrid (a variety resistant to coffee leaf rust).
Sarchimor coffee plants are well-known for their resistance to coffee leaf rust and other diseases. This resistance is particularly beneficial in areas where these problems pose significant challenges to coffee cultivation. Additionally, Sarchimor varieties can exhibit a range of flavor profiles, influenced by their genetic lineage, growing conditions, and processing methods. Developing such disease-resistant varieties is essential for promoting sustainable coffee farming and addressing the challenges faced by coffee growers worldwide.
Sarchimor, Los Duran, Costa Rica
The Duran family farm is in the village of Sarchí in the West Valley. Eduardo works the farm with his three sons; Barney is actively involved in coffee processing and production on the farm, and Kendall and Arnold work as software engineers. They all show great passion for coffee, and for continuing the work, their father has been doing for decades.
All three brothers spent most of their school holidays working in the field, picking, stumping, or planting trees. The Durans recognise that today, besides carrying on traditions, one must be innovative in coffee production. Kendall is working hard with his brothers to help bring their coffee to better markets.
The El Roble parcel ranges from 1300 meters to up to 1650 meters and grows different varieties such as Catuaí and Caturra and other new hybrids such as H3 and H17. These hybrids can have great results in production levels and the cup while being more resistant to disease and fungi.
Over the past year, Eduardo and Kendall have been building a micro mill, which is labour-intensive, on the small coffee plot behind their house. The Duran family opted for a traditional depulper instead of a high-end mechanical demucilager that scrubs all the mucilage off coffee using friction. This saves a lot of money and helps create more unique profiles in the cup. The new mill also has more space to accommodate the drying process, including a greenhouse with drying beds to keep up with the increasing micro-lot production.
The unique honey process is employed to ferment the coffee. H3 cherries, picked at peak ripeness, undergo immediate de-pulping after harvest. The coffee, stripped of its pulp, is then fermented with its mucilage in bags for 24 hours before entering a six-day drying phase in the shade on white sheets. Following the initial drying, the batch is transferred to raised beds for an additional 21 days to complete the drying process.
This method is known as the black honey process, with the term "black" indicating that the beans take on a completely dark appearance upon completion of processing. This darkness signifies a high sugar content in the beans and signals that they have reached the optimal moisture level.
