This is a brand new coffee for Detour Coffee Roasters. It hails from Costa Rica’s west valley in Lordes de Naranjo, who are the neighbours of Finca de Licho and Herbazu.
Located at 1550-1700 meters above sea level and owned by partnership Oldemar Arrieta Lobo and Marlene Brenes Morera. Names Vista al Valle that translates as View of the valley. Take a look at some of the pictures to understand why.
It also opened a brand new micro mill in only its second year of production. While Oldemar and Marlene both learned their skills working for other people, but now they have their own mill.
They own three farms, this one surrounding the home where they live, the others being Zapote and Fidel. Fidel winning this years cup of excellence and coming in 1st place.
The varietals from this farm are villa sarchi and is sun dried in their poly tunnel using the red honey process.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping a cup of Costa Rica Vista al Valle, from Detour Coffee Roasters in Dundas, Ontario, Canada, courtesy of CraftCoffee. Feel free to pull up a chair.
the basics:
origin: Lourdes de Naranjo, Alajuela, Costa Rica
farm: Vista al Valle
producer(s): Oldemar Arrieta and Marlene Brenes Morera
assocation: N/A
elevation:1550-1700 meters above sea level
cultivars: Villa Sarchi
process: pulped natural, patio dried
certifications: standard
the coffee:
The aroma wafting off of the Vista al Valle completely overwhelms my nose, dusting the tip of my nose before expanding inside of my nostrils with heavenly rustic scents of freshly baked cinnamon apple pie, maple syrup, dried fruit, and toffee.
Taking the first few sips of this coffee and sweet, spicy, savory apple pie is the first thing I think of. Juicy apple acidity swirls over the palate before splashing down the sides of the tongue and mouth, leaving behind sedimentary flavors of oatmeal, nougat, toffee, maple syrup, and a buttery caramel that completely envelops the tongue. I’m also quite taken with the clarity of the coffee up front, as I am already able to pick out lots of fruits: particularly Gala apple, raisin, plum, cranberry, grape, currant, and pear.
As it cools off, surprisingly, it’s not the fruit flavors that intensify; rather, it’s the savories and spices. Each sip is a perfect balance of sweet and spicy with notes of brown sugar that tickles the back of the throat and cinnamon that bites the tip of the tongue.
Full body; malic acidity; buttery mouthfeel; clean finish.
the bottom line:
This, the Costa Rica Vista al Valle from Detour Coffee Roasters, was a perfect example of just how much a particular processing method can affect a coffee’s flavor. If this coffee were fully washed, I think the fruits would have been less pronounced and the savories wouldn’t have been sweet. If it were fully natural, I think it would lacked clarity and definition.
Instead, the pulped-natural process produced a sweet, savory, honeyed, textured, and balanced coffee that was very impressive; an utter delight from sip to sip.
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.