Costa Rica
Tarrazú
Roberto Mata Naranjo
Montes de Oro
Caturra, Catuai
Red Honey
December–February
Cacao Nibs, Caramel, Mandarin, Vanilla
1550 meters
N/A
69 kg w/ GrainPro
USA - Auburn, WA - Green Room
M&M Micromill is operated by Roberto Mata Naranjo and his family in the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica. The mill takes its name from the last names of the family’s children, Mata and Montero, celebrating the latest generation of the family to join the legacy. Roberto’s family have been farming coffee since the late 1950s, only opening their own mill in 2017. They were inspired to elevate their work and implement new practices on the farm, but realized that the only way to see their vision through was to process their own harvest to ensure lot separation and quality practices. Today, they process all of the coffee that they grow, using a range of processes including Washed, Honey, Natural, and controlled fermentation.
This lot of Caturra and Catuai coffee underwent Red Honey processing at M&M Micromill. Coffee cherries are pulped and dried for two days without movement on raised beds. The coffee is then moved four times per day for another two days on raised beds until pre-drying is complete. The partially dried coffee is then finished in a rotary dryer at 50 degrees celsius with controlled air flow.
The Tarrazú region lies in the high mountains of the southern Pacific region south of Costa Rica’s capital city of San Jose and 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 between 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 Tarrazu are well-suited for agriculture, and smallholders grow bananas, avocado, and citrus as well as coffee on properties passed between generations. The spirit of community and family is strong in Tarrazu, 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.
