Costa Rica Hacienda Sonora Obata Natural

Country: Costa Rica
Region: Central Valley
Varietal: Obata
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1,300 MASL
Cupping Notes: Cherry, Chamomile, Apple Pie
Recommended Roast:City to Full City
Good For: Auto Drip, Pour Over, Full Immersion

Description: Hacienda Sonora has been part of the specialty scene since its early days, always leading in innovation through its various processing methods and plant varietals. The farm has more than 20 varieties in production, “Obata” being one of them. Besides having a nice and complex cup, Obata typically produces a well-balanced cup with good acidity and body, often featuring flavor notes of chocolate, nuts, and fruits. Hacienda Sonora Estate has been in Alberto’s family for more than a century. In the 1970s when Alberto took over the farm, he began planting most of the land with coffee, and shortly after it became the main source of income. In 1999 with historically low coffee prices, Alberto invested in a mill to be able to maximize his quality, and to do so he became a pioneer in alternative processing techniques such as Honey and Naturals. He also became an early example of how different varietals could create different levels of complexity in the cup. In 2011, Alberto’s son, Diego, joined the operation as co-manager. Nowadays, Sonora has more than 20 different varieties of plants in 80 hectares of coffee (+ 20 hectares of forest reserve) and is known to be a welcoming place for coffee lovers. Processing begins with the picking, where the coffee cherries are hand-picked and undergo floater separation. After 36 hours of fermentation, the cherries are dried with the fruit still intact, further enhancing their sweetness and fruity notes. They are then dried on a patio for nine days. After this initial drying, the beans rest for three days in a warehouse at 14% humidity. They are subsequently mechanically dried for better uniformity, ensuring temperatures do not exceed 35°C. Once the coffee reaches a humidity level of 10.5%, it rests in parchment for two months before being sorted by weight, screen size, density, and color.

We have had a long relationship with the Guardia Family, and we’re happy to have a few incredible single variety naturals from them this year.