Tasting Notes: Red Grape, Apricot, Honeycomb

Process: Honey

Elevation: 1400-1500m

Variety: Caturra, Catuai

Producer: CoopeTarrazú

We’re proud to have Tirra Estate on our single origin lineup. This honey-processed coffee represents so much of the cup clarity and sweet juiciness that we’ve come to expect from Tarrazú - but it also represents what we love about the growing solidarity and sustainability ethics of our industry.

The honey process is a hybrid between natural (sun-dried inside the cherry) and washed (pulped from the cherry, washed, and then sun-dried). With honey, the coffee is pulped and set out to dry with the sticky mucilage remaining. It does not undergo any washing, so that the sugars in the mucilage can ferment as the coffee dries. It usually yields a flavor that is more complex than natural but fruitier than washed.  The harvest in Tarrazú coincides with the region's dry season, which lasts from November to March; this contributes not only to coffee uniformity but also to the ability to process the coffee by sun-drying.

Tirra is owned and operated by a cooperative in Tarrazú called Coopetarrazú. The co-op was born on October 13, 1960, with 228 producers. The economic environment for coffee growers before Coopetarrazú was difficult. The coffee growers generated a valuable product but didn't have a say in its administration and marketing. Through the National Bank and its Department of Cooperatives, they were encouraged to buy a benefit in the form of a cooperative, a proposal that was bravely accepted with the financial and administrative backing of the National Bank. It wasn't easy at first, a period of slow and silent progress, but the founders' commitment was incalculable; their honesty, responsibility, respect, and many other qualities are reflected in the cooperative today. They celebrate 60 years since being founded this year and now have over 3,500 coffee-growing members. The financial risk made decades ago has paid off, and they can now use their capital to prioritize the welfare of their communities by providing hands-on technical training and investing in research and solutions to combat natural challenges that permeate the region. By working together, they’ve achieved more consistent quality throughout the co-op, which means more consistent prices and upward success as a team. We’re all about it!