a strong floral aspect, balanced with a full bodied nutty and chocolaty undertone. Slightly fruit forward but not a fruit bomb. The black honey processing really leave a crazy complex cup with tones ranging from lemongrass to red fruit to nutty/chocolaty and smoky undertones. Darker roasts lean it towards nutty/chocolaty more stout like features with fruity highlights. At lighter roast, one gets layers of all the lovely flavors in the cup. Crisp and clean lemony floral balanced with sweet and smooth chocolaty undertones than linger on the nuttier side. 

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.

Las Lajas’ reputation for quality precedes it; the care with which the Chacon family manages their mill and processing has put their Honey and Natural coffees in steep demand. Doña Francisca proudly showcased the Red and Yellow Honeys – their two favorite lots drying on African beds and the different methods for drying Naturals, some of which are dried in deep layers under plastic and others that are dried on stacked beds. Doña Francisca’s husband, Don Oscar, puts it this way: “We play with processing curves the same way roasters play with roast curves: adjusting the variables of time and temperature to see what characteristics appear in the cup.” This curiosity and willingness to experiment and find a new level of excellence is apparent in the final product: explosively fruity coffees with complex acidity and a bright finish.

About Honey Process

Las Lajas began producing honey coffees in 2008, after an earthquake cut off the mill’s access to water for several weeks. Don Oscar had heard that in Brazil and Ethiopia they use pulped-natural and natural techniques to process coffees, so he tried it with his harvest that year. Don Oscar believes that just as the roast profile will change the flavor of a coffee, the drying curve also has an impact. He wants the drying to happen slowly, which means that production is necessarily limited.

The Chacons produce several different types of honeys and naturals: For their honeys, 100% of the mucilage is left on the coffee, and the coffee is dried in different ways. The Chacons determine which process to use based on the weather on the day the coffee is harvested.

• Yellow Honey: Coffee is turned hourly on raised beds.
• Red Honey: Coffee is turned several times a day on the beds, but not as frequently as for yellow honey.
• Black Honey: The coffee is only turned once per day.

• Origin: Costa Rica
• Region: Sabanilla de Alajuela, Central Valley
• Producer: Oscar and Francisca Chacón
• Farm: Finca Cale Liles
• Mill: Las Lajas Micromill 
• Altitude: 1550m
• Cultivars: Caturra, Catuai
• Processing: Black honey
• Sourcing: Burman Coffee