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Costa Rica El Cerro Estate Natural Caturra & Catuai

Coffee region: Central Valley

Coffee estate: El Cerro Estate  El Cerro

Elevation: 1500 meters

Coffee variety: Caturra, Catuai

Processing method: Natural process

Grade: SHB

Harvest year: 2019 year

Coffee region

El Cerro Estate is located in the Central Valley region.

The Central Valley region has an elevation of 1,200-1,600 meters, with the harvest season from 11 month to ~3 month. This region has three sub-regions: San José, Heredia, and   Alajuela.

There are three high-altitude volcanoes in the region: Irazu、Barva、Poas , which provide rich nutrients to the surrounding coffee-growing areas. The superior microclimate combined with Poás and Barva  the fertile volcanic soil results in beans with exceptional qualities, such as chocolate and cocoa flavors, bright acidity, and elegant aromas.

The Central Valley is also the earliest region in Costa Rica where coffee was planted, before the industry expanded to other areas. With moderate rainfall and an average annual temperature of 19℃, along with high elevation, the beans are hard, aromatic, smooth, high in acidity, full-bodied, and rich in fragrance. This region was the first coffee-growing area in the country, with fertile volcanic soil that sometimes carries chocolate notes. The initial processing is washed, followed by low-temperature machine drying.

El Cerro Estate El Cerro

El Cerro Estate El Cerro( At the time known as Potrero Grande) was purchased in the early 19 century by Spanish immigrant Santiago Fernández, (Santiago Fernandez the grandfather of the current owner. ) It was initially used for multiple purposes, : including cattle farming, tobacco, sugarcane, and potato cultivation.

Unfortunately, Mr. Santiago passed away at the age of 32, leaving behind his wife, Luisa Paniagua ( Luisa Paniagua), and six children, the oldest of whom was only 12 years old at the time.

Mrs. Luisa, a strong-willed and hardworking woman, decided to fight for her children during a time when women had limited rights. She was determined to continue the family business and raise her children on the farm.

The eldest son of Mrs. Luisa, Ernesto Fernández ( Ernesto Fernandez), also began helping his mother from a young age. 1920 In the year, he and his mother decided to plant the first 2 hectares of coffee to test this new crop.

Later, Ernesto married and started a family, and his 8 children also grew up on the farm. The Fernández family planted more and more coffee until sugarcane and tobacco were completely replaced.

Ernesto’s son, Carlos Fernández ( Carlos Fernandez), inherited a portion of the farm from his father. This land was dedicated to coffee cultivation and cattle farming.

Carlos understood the importance of high-quality coffee and dedicated his life to producing high-quality Arabica coffee.

The estate originally grew Typica and Bourbon coffee varieties, but they were eventually replaced by Caturra, Catuai, and Villalobos.

Although Carlos Fernández and his children and grandchildren worked on the farm, there were also two permanent workers, and during harvest season, they received help from several migrant workers, most of whom came from Nicaragua. Thanks to the fair treatment given by Carlos and his children each year, they have been assisting at El Cerro Estate for 15 years.

Coffee variety

The variety of beans from El Cerro is Caturra and Catuai, which are common among American beans.

Caturra (Caturra) is a natural mutation of Bourbon (bourbon) and was discovered in Brazil in 1937. It has a shorter tree height compared to Bourbon. Due to inheriting Bourbon’s lineage, it has weaker resistance but higher yield than Bourbon.

Although discovered in Brazil, Caturra is not suitable for growing there, so it is not widely cultivated in Brazil but is instead popular in Central and South America, such as Colombia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua.

Catuai is a hybrid of Caturra and Mondu Novo, artificially bred. Catuai has better resistance to natural disasters, especially wind and rain. Catuai trees are relatively short, and compared to other coffee trees, their fruits are firmer and harder to harvest. The fruits come in both red and yellow varieties.

Processing method

The processing method for these beans from El Cerro Estate is the natural process.

The harvested red coffee cherries are placed on African beds in the early morning, turned regularly for sun exposure. They are shaded under plastic sheeting until they reach a moisture content of 11.5%, a process that takes about three weeks.

Roast profile