The name already says it all. They called it El Diamante and this makes it clear that we are dealing with an exceptional product. A precious quality of coffee produced by Costa Rica comes from Farm Finca El Cerro managed by the Fernández Morera family with the agronomist Esteban Villalobos Corrales, pioneer of the anaerobic fermentation process.
The exotic, sweet and spicy taste of this coffee has reached very high levels of quality, earning a score in the cup equal to 90 SCA points and in 2018 theeighth position to the very prestigious Cup of excellence.
What makes this quality unique is in fact the particular processing that takes place through a careful anaerobic process: once the coffee is de-pulped, it is left to ferment covered by its own mucilage in an airtight tank.
Temperature, Brix, PH, time and pressure are carefully controlled to enhance flavours. After 24 hours of fermentation it is transported to greenhouses for drying, exposed to the sun for 4 days and then in the shade, on raised African beds, for 18-22 days. Finally it is left to rest hermetically sealed.
“There are still many aspects to discover about the world of coffee – says Esteban Villalobos – innovation has no limits: what has been demonstrated so far is only the tip of the iceberg. We take great pride in our work but it's not doing the same thing for many years that makes you a professional. Constancy, perseverance, discipline and passion can instead make the difference in always being one or two steps ahead.
The specialty coffee industry must break paradigms and expand to new processing techniques, encouraging producers to innovate not only in the way coffees are processed, but also with precision agriculture with which they could be more efficient (in traceability, quality, yields) and much more competitive”.
And he adds: “The idea materialized during the 2013/2014 season, with the production of the first batch processed anaerobically. A project accompanied by a lot of passion, ambition and inspiration. Knowing today that the process has spread all over the world makes me really happy because it shows that the technique improves quality in a positive way, adding value to the final product.”
In fact, from 2014 to today, the anaerobic coffee of Finca El Cerro has gained popularity in the country and in the world. Many Barista champions have used El Diamante for national and international competitions (WBC and Brewers Cup), obtaining excellent results and always finishing in excellent positions”.
the relationship between Francis Sanapo several times champion bartender at the head of Artisan firm which manages a Florence a roastery and a line of specialty cafes specialized in importing the best blends and single origins directly from the farms of the producing countries, it dates back to a few years ago.
This is how Esteban recalls it: “Victor, a friend who at the time worked for ICAFE (Costarica's Coffee Institute) went to Honduras. The goal of the trip was to discuss and share coffee news and culture and he asked me for a sample of anaerobic to take with him for cupping during the meeting. Francesco Sanapo was one of the people who would participate and when he tasted it he really liked it. The result was excellent feedback and contact with Ditta Artigianale. From that moment our collaboration was born and every year El Diamante arrives in Italy”.
“The anaerobic fermentation process - emphasizes Sanapo, sole distributor for Italy - makes this coffee exceptional, with a unique and particularly spicy taste. The predominant notes that distinguish it are apple and cinnamon but the scents are also very reminiscent of raisins, cocoa and desserts such as Strudel and Apple Pie which it goes perfectly with”.
Finca El Cerro extends over 14 hectares of land in San Rafael de San Ramón, in the province of Alajuela, Costa Rica. The owner Carlos Fernández Morera manages the lands and all the post-production steps together with his family and is a member of Café de Altura de San Ramón Especial SA (Café de Altura), association founded in 2004 which currently has more than 3500 members who receive technical support to increase the quality and productivity of their coffee.
Life inside the farm begins early and ends only late in the evening and with the arrival of Covid-19 it has not always been easy to manage the supply chain in the best possible way: “I usually get up at 7:00. Once I arrive at the office, I greet my colleagues and obviously I make a Chemex or a V60 to start the day with energy, then the batch checks and the checks at the mill start until nightfall - continues Esteban - the difficult part of the pandemic has been taking care of visitors, something we particularly care about and which we have continued to do with all our commitment. It's not obvious in this period."
Of the new projects he reveals: “Among the projects I'm working on there is a new anaerobic fermentation with different varieties such as SL28, Geisha, Hybrids H1, H17 and Milenium, yellow Catuai, Bourbon. The idea is to have different profiles, very exclusive and unique. I already have my own nano batch of anaerobic H17, grown, harvested and processed by myself. I'm so proud: I look forward to continuing to grow in terms of production and quality every year”.
Costa Rica El Diamante is available on online store and in the cafés of Florence.
Artisan firm
Via de Neri 32R
50122 Florence
+39 0552741541
