Costa Rica El Cedral Dota

Six years running now. El Cedral is one of the few coffees we buy back every season without much debate, and this year might be the best we can remember. Huge tropical fruit, with pineapple and banana leading the way and a little cinnamon warmth behind them.

It grows on Finca El Cedral, high in the Dota valley between 1,900 and 2,050 meters, farmed through CoopeDota. The cooperative started in 1960 and runs a certified carbon neutral mill on hydroelectric power. El Cedral is their model farm, where members test climate adaptive growing techniques and pass what works back to the rest of the membership.

Red Catuai and Red Caturra, picked in January and February, then dried whole in the sun and finished in mechanical driers. That full natural drying is where all the fruit comes from.