Costa Rica - Finca El Cerro

Notes: Light roast - Kahlua, kiwi and cooked citrus zest flavors with tart acidity and fruit-like sweetness.

Oscar and Francisca Chacón are third-generation coffee producers, but the coffee is more than just in their family heritage: It's in their hearts and souls as well. The couple is committed to quality and innovation, and are among the very first farmers in Costa Rica to produce Honey and Natural process specialty coffee.

In 2005, after years of delivering their cherry to a cooperative for the going market price, they decided to join the brand-new "micromill revolution" and buy their own depulper to have more control over the quality and the price they received for their lots. "At first, we didn't know what we were doing," Oscar explains. "We were just experimenting." That experimentation led to some of the most exciting new flavor profiles we have ever tasted. Now, the Chacons produce a wide range of Honey process coffees, modulating the drying time in order to create different effects in the cup.

Black honey is a honey process where the cherries must first be classified and then pulped and transferred to raised beds. During the first 2 days, the beans do not receive any movement until the third day, when they begin to make periodic movements (3 to 4 times a day) to reduce the humidity of the coffee.