About this Coffee
After graduating from university in 1984, Don Luis Eduardo Campos planted his coffee farm in Piedades del Sur, Alajuela. Don Luis has been constantly pursuing new and innovative ways to improve his coffee production. About ten years ago, he had the idea of an anaerobic fermentation with the objective of extracting the naturally occurring flavours of the coffee through a controled fermentation process. After 6 years of research and tests, his anaerobic coffee was ready. Luis is the father of anaerobic fermentation!
Over the past 10 years don Luis has been experimenting with different coffee processing methods such as natural, honeys, thermic (termico) and anaerobic. In addition to quality innovation the farm and wet mill joined the national group NAMA (Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions) in 2017 with the objective as a group to reach reduction emissions of green house gases within the coffee sector. One of the biggest projects they have done is the installation of solar panels, with these panels the main office is able to run off of 100% solar energy plus the solar panel also supply more than 50% of the energy for the wet mill.
Harvest & post-harvest
The ‘Thermal’ fermentation process in reference to the fermentation temperature the cherry undergoes which builds up the malic and lactic acidities. This lifts the complexity and imparts a greater aspect of fruit character in the cup profile.
The process starts by selecting the cherries when they are at their ripest point allowing them to have a high sugar content.
Then the thermal process begins with a high temperature shock, around 70 degrees Celsius for a short period of time. In order to do so, coffee is pulped and put in direct sun. The exposure to the heat starts to breakdown the natural sugars of the coffee cherries, partially caramelizing them. This inventive process gives the coffee an exceptionally sweet and fruity flavor as well as a round and balanced cup.
Then the coffee is well mixed, additional mucilage is added and placed in a hermetically closed tank. It is very important that the tank is completely closed, otherwise the CO2 escapes and no pressure is produced. During the fermentation, during 72 to 84 hours, temperature of the tank is controlled. After 15 hours the PH is constantly measured to monitor the fermentation.
Fermentation must be stopped when the sugars in the mucilage have been consumed. During the fermentation, the CO2 that is produced exerts a high pressure on the beans and allows the flavors of the coffee juices to be introduced into the parchment.
Finally, tanks are carefully opened, coffee is drained (the gel that is put in the tank at this point is very liquid) and dried under the sun for around 22 days. This inventive process results in a complex flavor and a round and balanced cup.
