Costa Rica Tarrazu Casa de Piedra

Finca Casa de Piedra is owned and operated by Gerardo Arias and family in Costa Rica's mountainous Tarrazú region. He is the fifth generation to farm coffee in this area, planting his 50 hectare farm in Llano Bonito that sits at 1500 meters above sea level. About 10 years ago, Gerardo made the decision to build his own wet mill too, which has allowed him to bypass local intermediaries and export in a more direct way. The micro mill is called "Cafe Directo", and he is currently producing washed, honey, and dry process coffees. This lot is what's considered "fully washed" by Costa Rica standards, though there is no fermentation step between pulping and drying. They use mechanical demucilagers to remove the outer fruit which can be calibrated to leave only the slightest trace of fruit mucilage. The resulting cup has more in common with fully washed coffees than honeys, though they still produce more chaff than your typical washed coffee.