Costa Rica Honey Don Oscar Typica Mejorado

When we first heard about "Typica Mejorado" on our March visit to Costa Rica, our interest was piqued. The sample we'd cupped the day before tasted bright, and fresh, even a bit floral. But just how was this Typica "improved"? The answer came the next day when visiting Don Oscar micro mill, where this particular lot was grown. Tacho Solis explained to us that its origins trace back to a selection from Nestle's breeding facility in Ecuador, and is likely not related to Typica at all. Initial genetic testing seems to confirm this, tracing "Typica Mejorado" back to a cross of Bourbon and an Ethiopian landrace. Tacho also claimed that when Gesha plants don't produce the super floral cup we think to be synonymous with the name, they suddenly become "Typica Mejorado", which we thought was a funny anecdote, and I imagine is true to some degree. Whatever the case, this coffee's distinct flavor profile puts it in a different class than the typical Costa Rican coffee, and we were happy to pick up a small amount from this farm. The Don Oscar mill is run by brothers Horacio "Tacho" and Alejandro Solis, and the name "Don Oscar" is in honor of their late father, Oscar Solis, who began farming on this land. Oscar is also the cousin of Roger Solis, who owns La Casona mill down the road (who we also buy). Their farm is broken into 40 different plots, and they've planted their Typica Mejorado and Gesha right at the top. They produce mechanically washed coffee, which is fairly standard in Costa Rica. In this case, they are running a Penagos brand mechanical demucilager that uses very little water to remove most of the coffee cherry fruit, forgoing the fermentation stage altogether. The coffee is then laid to dry outside in the sun on raised beds, often finished off in a mechanical dryer that they use the parchment that is removed from green coffee to fuel.

*4 lb. limit per order