About this coffee

Alberto Guardia began growing coffee at Hacienda Sonora in the 1970s. The 100-hectare farm sits at the foot of the active Poás Volcano in Costa Rica’s Central Valley. Sonora has a well-earned reputation for producing quality microlots featuring specific varietal and processing separation. This honey-processed lot is made up entirely of the Obata variety, which is a cross between Villa Sarchi and Timor coffee varieties. Hacienda Sonora has a heavy focus on environmental and social impact—the farm uses 100 percent renewable energy that’s harvested on the farm and has also eliminated excess water usage by utilizing natural and honey processing methods. Sonora also provides workers and their families free accommodations, including most household utilities, in the farm’s houses.

Flavor

The Costa Rica Obata Honey is a wonderfully rich and expressive coffee, exhibiting a spectrum of flavor and depth. In its lighter iterations, we found it to be a delicate and nuanced coffee, rich with notes of jasmine and honey. As a darker roast, we quite enjoyed the deep, sweet notes of molasses and semisweet morsels. Needless to say, this is a delicious and versatile coffee. It can stand on its own as a complex pour over, or as a sweet and caramelized espresso shot perfectly paired with milk.