Costa Rica Aquiares Washed

Costa Rican coffees (and Central American coffees in general) can represent a lot of problematic things about the coffee supply chain: For example, many farms in Central America are owned by wealthy Westerners who have access to capital and marketing that allows them to sell their coffees at prices that indigenous people could never achieve. This coffee is different, and it represents the sort of de-colonisation of the coffee supply chain that we want to support. Aquiares is a Costa Rican legacy farm, and they've set an absolute gold standard in how they treat people and the planet. The way they increase biodiversity, capture carbon, and care for both Costa Rican and migrant workers is a testament to how coffee CAN change people's lives. In fact, Diego Robelo is more like a town mayor than a coffee farmer, and our colleague Will recently visited to write about this expansive community. Aquiares also produces delicious, consistent coffees. This is one of their more special lots — a Mariana varietal with sweet, juicy notes of raspberry mousse and coffee pulp. Mariana is a relatively new hybrid varietal and a great example of how coffee farmers today experiment with a wide range of coffee plants to find those that work best in their region as climate change affects traditional growing methods and plant choices. You can also try their equally tasty Esperanza varietal here. We've bought coffee from Aquiares since our first year at Skylark, but we've been delighted to partner with them more fully since 2025 and plan to continue for the foreseeable future. We plan to have at least one of their coffees on offer year-round to support the amazing work they do. Check out more of their story by reading below: Aquiares, one of Costa Rica’s largest and most historic coffee farms, sits high on the fertile slopes of Turrialba volcano. Producing coffee continuously for over a century, the farm has developed an enduring model for growing high-quality Arabica coffee, protecting a stunning natural setting, and supporting a thriving local community of 1,800 people. Established by British farmers in 1890, Aquiares was one of the first estates to produce and export Costa Rican coffee. In 1971, the farm was purchased by its current owners, three families who have worked together with the farm's staff and community to implement a modern model of sustainable agriculture. Don Alfonso took over farm management in 1992, and at the time he was new(ish) to coffee. However, one thread throughout his life has been a commitment to social justice. From the beginning, Don Alfonso made the social welfare of farm workers and the wider community one of his main priorities. His dedication has transformed the farm and the region. The community of Aquiares, originally created to house workers on the estate, sits in the midst of the farm. When it was built, the farm owned the houses where employees lived, creating home insecurity amongst working families. In 1992, under Don Alfonso’s management, the farm started a project to enable people to own their own houses. Each worker received a bonus for his or her years of service, housing plots were priced at a fraction of the local rate, and workers received assistance to apply for the government house fund. In the beginning, this seemed too good to be true, but as the first families obtained their own homes everyone else followed suit. In a matter of three years, the town was brought to life, enriched by security and achievement. Today, only around 15% of Aquiares residents work on the farm (many have gone on to become schoolteachers, doctors, etc.) and 96% of these own their own home, giving them options for the future that they themselves can choose. All Aquiares coffee is picked by hand to ensure consistent high quality. Microlots such as this one are picked by a special team of expert harvesters who are paid well above the daily rate for their exceptional skills. Each tree is visited up to seven times during the harvest to ensure that only fully red ripe cherries are picked. The pickers represent the farm’s most valuable asset. They hail from the community of Aquiares, nearby towns, and even from the neighbouring country of Nicaragua. The farm ensures that all workers have a safe work environment and a comfortable place to live. Workers coming from further away can live in on-site housing and use a children’s daycare. The farm sponsors doctors’ visits for pickers and their families twice a week where nutritional health advice is also given. To take better care of its field workers, Aquiares has established first-of-its-kind physical therapy sessions and also a daily warm-up routine of exercise before work. Many pickers return each year, confirming the success of the model. Aquiares is strongly committed to and has become an international leader in environmental sustainability. The farm has long seen the connection between agricultural, environmental, and social health. By planting more than 50,000 shade trees, creating natural buffers around streams and water springs, preserving the river valleys as forests, planting along the contour lines, implementing integrated pest management systems, and many other steps, Aquiares has demonstrated how to make ecological ideals a reality. For example, since soil health is the most important factor for a successful farm, Aquiares takes many steps to naturally improve the farm’s volcanic soil. The organic matter from pruning and the leaf litter from the coffee and shade trees are left to feed soil microbes and provide organic nutrients. The diversified shade trees (over 40 species) also cool the ground, slowing the ripening of the coffee, which allows for sugars from the mucilage to be fully absorbed by the bean, thus improving cup quality. The farm’s agricultural objective is to find synergies like these, where environmental health translates into coffee plant health, which ultimately contributes to long-term stability in the production of high-quality coffee. The farm’s terrain varies from gently sloping to steep hills. Valleys between hills create microclimates that are ideal for growing mainly Caturra and grafted Arabica-Nemaya varieties. Although Aquiares is considered large by Central American standards, the farm aims to tend to every individual coffee plant’s needs. Therefore, Aquiares utilizes a system of pruning each plant on its own, instead of pruning by row or by lot. Through an intensive rehabilitation program, Aquiares has re-planted more than 400,000 coffee trees in small patches of existing fields. This rejuvenated the crop of trees and increased the land’s utilization. It also played a crucial role in the 2012 rust attack, as young plants resisted the disease better, slowing its spread. Stringent environmental stewardship enabled the farm to achieve Rainforest Alliance Certification in 2003. In 2012, Aquiares became the first farm in Costa Rica to fulfill the requirements of the Rainforest Alliance Climate Module. This requires adhering to careful standards of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use, which are meticulously tracked through each harvest season. This certification demonstrates that the farm’s low emissions do not meaningfully contribute to climate change. You can read more about life at Aquiares right here.Elevation: 1200 Meters Above Sea Level Varietal: Mariana Cup score: 87 Price paid per kg: £12.70 Process: Natural

A natural coffee from Aquiares Estate in Costa Rica, bringing strawberry milkshake and tayberry sweetness. Creamy, juicy, and balanced, it is a bright fruit-led expression of the farm.

PRE-ORDER ONLY (limited quantity available) We will roast this coffee on September 10th and ship it the week of September 14th. Please note: If this taster pack is in your order, your ENTIRE order will be shipped that week. Out of kindness to our production team, we cannot offer split shipments on these orders due to the volume of orders expected. We also can't ship these outside the UK. Allergy warning: these coffees were processed using fruit juice and pulp, so should not be consumed by anyone with an allergy or sensitivity to the fruits in the name. We're so excited to be part of The Fermentation Project (a global tasting of one single coffee processed four ways) that we've gone mad on additional tasting sets. We think the processing mastery of coffee producers merits far more recognition. So, if you enjoy co-fermented coffees and want to have a similar experience, here's your chance. Edinson, Luz Ángela, and their team produce the tastiest, most elegant co-ferments that we've ever had. Co-ferments are not for everyone, but all three of these are restrained enough that we think you'll want to guzzle down the whole cup. This pack will include 126g each of the following coffees: Peach Melba, peach co-ferment Strawberry Daiquiri, strawberry co-ferment Passionfruit Punch, passionfruit co-ferment Edinson Argote's Quebraditas project is a family-run enterprise dedicated to producing premium coffees with standout and reproducible sensory profiles thanks to advanced fermentation processes, including thermal shock and yeast inoculation. They also focus on agronomic management and soil care (strategic shading, use of organic matter, maintenance of soil pH and calcium) that allows them to increase the potential of each crop. Edinson and his partner Ángela started their journey on Chorro Alto, a farm owned by Ángela’s parents. Ángela manages the administration, while Edinson oversees coffee processing and farm operations. They have two coffee farms located at 1600-1850 meters above sea level in the central Huila Mountains. These farms cover 18 hectares, 10 of which grow traditional varieties such as Caturra and Colombia, and one of which is exclusively for special varieties, including Eugenoides, Bourbon Pointu, Geisha, Java, Bourbon Chiroso, Wush Wush, Bourbon Ají, Papayo, Pacamara, Sudan Rume, and Arará. The vision is to eventually grow only these non-traditional varieties. To process these lots, cherries were floated to remove green, overripe, and dry cherry. They were then oxidised in food-grade plastic drums for 12 hours and depulped without using water. After fermenting for 24 hours in an open tank to remove mucilage, fermentation continued for 72 hours at temperatures below 25°C with a mix of fruit pulp, sugar, and specific yeasts. After fermentation, the coffee was washed and dried for 42 hours at 38°C. Finally, it was stabilised and prepared for transport in GrainPro-type bags. Elevation: 1850 Meters Above Sea Level Varietal: Caturra Price paid per kg: £17.95 Process: Co-fermented with the listed fruits

PRE-ORDER ONLY (limited quantity available) We will roast this coffee on September 10th and ship it the week of September 14th. Please note: If this taster pack is in your order, your ENTIRE order will be shipped that week. Out of kindness to our production team, we cannot offer split shipments on these orders due to the volume of orders expected. We also can't ship these outside the UK. We're so excited to be part of The Fermentation Project (a global tasting of one coffee processed four ways) that we've gone mad on the Tasting Sets. We think the processing mastery of coffee producers merits far more recognition. So, if you're a gesha snob and want to try four of the prettiest, most floral and quintessentially elegant coffees that we have, here's your chance. This pack will include 126g each of the following coffees: Colombia Hervey & Rocio Gesha Washed This is a brilliant classic washed Gesha with loads of complexity. The Cuellars work hard to improve their processing techniques year after year, and the results speak for themselves in this lot. Notes of orange juice, bergamot, and Ceylon tea. Cup score 90. Costa Rica Corazón de Jesús Gesha Natural An absolutely exquisite Gesha from the Alvarado Fonseca family, processed using their signature 'slow natural' process which was developed after months of experimentation and refinement. Redolent with notes of strawberry, Earl Grey tea, and hibiscus. Cup score 92. Peru Roiber Becerra Gesha Natural Roiber Becerra is a young, up-and-coming coffee producer working near the village of Nuevo Belen in Utcubamba, Peru. This lot is a beautiful reflection of his talent and dedication, with notes of wildflower honey, jasmine, and raspberry. Cup score 90. Colombia Maricela Gesha Natural This flawless Gesha was sourced through our friends at LaReb in Colombia. So sweet and juicy, with notes of raw sugar, cherry, and strawberry. Cup score 90.