Vibrant orange and cherry lead into bright raspberry and tangerine flavours, finishing with a smooth caramel sweetness as it cools.
This is our seventh year buying from the folks at Finca Carmela. The 3-hectare farm is owned by Allan Oviedo Rodriguez and his family, along with the neighbouring Finca La Cumbre, and the Don Joel micro mill which services the processing needs of both farms (along with occasional small lots for their neighbours when there's space as they've got a good reputation for it).
Finca Carmela is located right on the border between the Central and Western Valleys, in the Alajuela province of Costa Rica. Situated around 1600 metres above sea level, the farm is just a short 5 minute drive away from their first farm La Cumbre on the other side of the hill.
Allan has been producing coffee in the area for 18 years; he grew up in a coffee family and learnt the traditional producing methods alongside his father (Don Joel) and brothers. It was during these early years that he saw the difficulties that came with making a living as a coffee farmer, such as poor returns for what is a very demanding job, and the ever-increasing cost of living.
- Country: Costa Rica
- Region: Western Valley
- Province: Alajuela
- Farm: Finca Carmela
- Micromill: Don Joel
- Producer: Allan Oviedo Rodriguez
- Elevation: 1,600 m.a.s.l.
- Processing method: Yellow Honey
- Varietal: Villa Sarchi
- FILTER RECIPE
- Suggested method: V60
Dose: 15g
Water: 250g
Time: 3 mins
- ESPRESSO RECIPE
- Dose: 20g
Yield: 49g
Time: 26 secs
To find the method that suits your kit, check out our Brew Guides.
Villa Sarchi is one of its most renowned and locally favoured varietals. Very rarely encountered outside Costa Rica, it’s a dwarf Bourbon mutation named after the Sarchi area of the Western Valley in Costa Rica where it was discovered. Like many other varietals which have stayed local to where they were discovered, Villa Sarchi retains a lot of the benefits of its Bourbon parentage (especially taste), but the plant's low height and response to diseases has made it a more convenient and popular choice among Costa Rican producers.
Finca Carmela is near the city of San Luis de Grecia. It's in the Alajuela province of the rather famous-for-coffee Western Valley of Costa Rica. Situated around 1,600 metres above sea level, this farm is just a short 5-minute drive away from their other farm, La Cumbre, which is on the other side of the hill.