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Sustainable

Aquiares Estate Sweet Verbena

Aquiares Estate Sweet Verbena

Country
  • Costa Rica
Region Turrialba
Producer Diego Robelo
Farm
  • Aquiares Estate
Varietal Esperanza
Altitude 1200 masl
Harvest 2025
Process African Washed

Omni Roast

a rare F1 hybrid prized for both its high productivity and refined flavour profile. the Aquiares farm is a place we admire deeply - not just for its coffees, but for its values. located on the slopes of the Turrialba volcano, it’s the largest farm in Costa Rica and home to more than 1,800 people. today it is managed by Diego Robelo, who has led the farm into a new era of speciality coffee, building on his father Alfonso’s legacy of sustainability, innovation, and social impact.

the Aquiares farm is one of few farms in the world producing the Esperanza varietal at commercial scale. when we cupped this lot, its vibrancy and balance stood out immediately.

the result is a clean, structured cup with cacao nibs, dulce de leche sweetness, and layers of strawberry - lifted by a citrus brightness reminiscent of lemon verbena.

resting our coffees

cafēn coffees are roasted to order. in the days that follow, freshly roasted coffee continues to evolve. as carbon dioxide gradually releases, the coffee begins to truly open up - harsh, roasty, or astringent notes soften, allowing a sweeter, cleaner, and more expressive cup to emerge.

resting gives the coffee space for its true character to shine.

we recommend resting our coffees for at least 14 days after the roast date. denser or high-elevation lots often reach their peak between 3 to 6 weeks.

£14.00
£14.00
Sale Sold Out
incl. VAT
Size

producer

the name Aquiares means “land between rivers” in the Huetar language. founded in 1890 and transformed by Alfonso Robelo in the 1980s, the farm evolved into a true coffee community where workers own their homes and sustainability is central to daily life. under Diego’s leadership, Aquiares has embraced traceability, variety development, and carbon-neutral farming practices - a model that has become an inspiration across Costa Rica and beyond.

process

this lot comes from Aquiares’ plantings of Esperanza, developed through somatic embryogenesis and grown in volcanic soils. it is processed using the African Washed method: cherries are mechanically washed, then dried on raised beds in solar dryers for 18-24 days. the result is both clarity and character in the cup, with a profile that’s clean, sweet, and layered.

region

the area of Turrialba is one of Costa Rica’s lesser-known coffee gems. with its nutrient-rich volcanic soils, steady rainfall, and close connecion to CATIE (home to one of the world’s largest living coffee variety collections), the region is a hub of agricultural experimentation. here, research and traditional farming converge, producing coffees with both genetic depth and a strong sense of place.