Costa Rica
Tarrazú
Martin Ureña Quirós
La Chumeca
Catuai
Anaerobic Natural
January–April
Caramel, Dark Chocolate, Dried Fruit
1700 meters
N/A
30 kg Vacuum Pack
SOLD OUT
La Chumeca Micromill is a family project started in 2014. Producer Martin Ureña Quirós began with the intention of improving the quality of the coffee from the family farm. Since its inception the mill has focused only on Natural processes, recently emerging as being aptly skilled with Anaerobic processing. “Chumeca” is a word used to express love and care and is commonly used in Martin’s family, lending itself easily to the family mill as well. La Chumeca Micromill has become well known in Costa Rica for its processes, many of which have featured on stage at national barista championships. Despite the mill’s success, Martin and his sons, Emilio and Pacho, remain humble and hardworking.
The family’s property contains a number of impressive spaces dedicated to production of coffee. Just a few meters from the entrance to their house is the “fermentation station,” consisting of a dozen stainless steel tanks lined up under a wooden structure. This space is monitored closely by mathematician and coffee farmer Emilio. Just past this fermentation space is a trail that leads through the forested area which acts as veins throughout the coffee fields. Beyond the trail is the drying space, surrounded by coffee trees and interlaced with well-maintained grass, flowers, and ponds. The drying area is overlooked by a tree house that boasts wonderful views of the drying beds, as well as the wide-stretching slopes of coffee full of Tarrazú character.
This lot of Catuai coffee underwent a double fermentation Natural process that the family calls the “777” process. Both aerobic and anaerobic fermentation is used while the cherries are still whole. Internal and external temperature and the pH of the fermentation environment are strictly monitored during the process. After both phases of fermentation are complete, the cherries are dried on raised beds. Throughout drying the thickness of the layer of cherries is managed to increase or decrease the speed of drying as needed in order to maintain the optimal drying time.
The Tarrazú region lies high in the mountains of the southern Pacific region south of Costa Rica’s capital city of San Jose. This area is one of the most densely planted high altitude regions in Central America, with many farms at or above 2000 meters above sea level. It is locally known as “Zona de Los Santos” for the number of towns with “San” or “Santa” in their names.
Tarrazú’s climate is characterized by two well-defined seasons; a rainy season lasting seven months (May through November) and a dry season (December through April). This encourages uniform coffee blossoming. On average, precipitation is around 2,400 millimeters (94.5 inches) per year, with an average annual temperature of 19°C (66.2°F).
The fertile, volcanic soils and rolling mountainsides of Tarrazú are well-suited for agriculture. Smallholders grow bananas, avocado, and citrus as well as coffee on properties passed between generations. The spirit of community and family is strong in Tarrazú, with producers caring for their land with pride. Many farms in Tarrazú include primary forest and some degree of shade trees interspersed with coffee, and producers take care to protect the natural water sources that spring up from the mountainsides.
