Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re cupping the Costa Rica Finca El Jordan, from Stovetop Coffee Roasters in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Feel free to pull up a chair.
Esteven Vargas and his father, Hiver Vargas, started the Don Sabino micromill in around 2011, though both men have been in coffee their whole lives. Starting in 2014, the father-son partners decided to switch all of their production over to naturals, because they like the profile, and our green-coffee buyer Luis Arocha says, “I keep asking them their secret, because their coffee is very good!” The cups have a very delicate acidity for being full naturals, and articulate sweetness and complex flavor.
Perhaps one of the secrets of their production is that they keep things close to home—literally— which helps them control quality. After the coffee is harvested, dried, and milled, it is stored at the family house: “If you’re in the living room and you walk through the rooms, you will see coffee bags stored all over the house.” Luis says. “When you’re in the house, there is the intense aroma of raisin because the coffee is so intense.*
THEDETAILS
region: Sabanilla De Alajuela, Costa Rica
farm: Don Sabino Micromill
producer: Hiver and Estevan Vargas
association: N/A
elevation: 1300 – 1600 meters above sea level
varietal: Caturra, Catuai
process: natural
CUPPINGNOTES
First sip brings an explosive taste of fruits, notably berries and melon, followed by a more rounded and subtle nuttiness. This coffee is Honey processed, where the mucilage (or honey) is left on through the drying process. A honey processed coffee takes less time to dry than a natural (cutting the risks of over-fermentation) but still giving it a more rounded cup compared to a fully washed coffee – also less acidic!
*content courtesy of Other Brother Roasters
What were your thoughts of this one? Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome! Feel free to enter a comment below.
UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL PRODUCTS REVIEWED ARE UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS FROM THE PRODUCT MANUFACTURER.
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.