Page 87 - #63 eng 电子版

What can we expect in the cup?

There are some common characteristics
that we can find in a washed processed cup of
coffee, some of them include cleanness, acid-
ity and more complexity. All of this will de-
pend on the origin and varietal of the coffee,
but in general washed coffees will have more
flavors inherited by the seed. These character-
istics are defined by the comparison with the
other processes; honey processed coffees are
said to be sweeter, have more body but less
clarity than the washed process, whilst the
natural process will have fruitier notes than
the other two. Many of those who enjoy a good
cup of fermented washed coffee, oppose to the
mechanical demucilaging, claim that since it
does not completely remove the fruit flesh, it
will create a standardized and much simpler
cup profile. The main characteristics of Volcán
Azul washed coffee are sweetness and delicate
citrus acidity that, depending on the varietal
can also add floral notes like in geisha and some
Ethiopian varietals, that Volcán Azul are de-
veloping. We were lucky enough to cup along-
side Alejo one of his coffees that was extreme-
ly balanced: honey like aroma, fruity sweetness
with a crisp mandarin acidity and a very
pleasant after taste. Luckily nowadays there
are plenty of options to select the coffee that
best suits your palate, but one thing that Cos-
ta Rica will continue to work for is the conser-
vation and preservation of it’s natural beauty
and the quality of its coffee.

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