A visit to Costa Rica from 2004 and “Hacienda La Minita” coffee farm.
This is a sort of brief page about our recent trip (2004!) to Costa RicaCosta Rican coffee is typically very clean, sweet, with lots of floral accents. hey are prized for their high notes: bright citrus or berry-like flavors in the acidity,... ...more and HaciendaHacienda is used to imply an Estate that has a full processing facility (wet mill): Sometimes the term Hacienda is used to imply an Estate, which would mean... ...more La Minita. When I go on a trip I always have to play catch-up when I get back, so it is hard to write the travelogue right away – but I do have a lot to write about, so check back in a week! You can click on the images and navigate throught them at full size, or just use this index page to view the ones that interest you. The names are somewhat descriptive … -Tom 2/6
History of Hacienda La Minita
The following is a vintage document published by Hacienda La Minita describing their operation and approach to coffee:
The plantation has been owned by the McAlpin family since 1967. At that time, it was part of a larger farm system. In 1978, a decision was reached to divest the milling operation and coffee producing property. Bill McAlpin decided to retain, through purchase, the finest coffee producing lands (about 40% of the original land), he has also maintained the farm management team that has now run the farm continuously for 30 years. The land, buildings and management team are collectively referred to as Hacienda La Minita.
La Minita means “the small mine”. Traditionally, local legend has it that pre-Colombian Indians came to look for gold on the land that is now the farm.
Geography
La Minita is located about 1½ hours drive south of San Jose, in the coffee producing area called Los Santos. The zone known as Los Santos includes a series of small villages and towns that begin in the north with San Juan Norte and end in the south with Santa Maria de Dota. The farm is located within the region from which fruit coffee is received by the Tarrazu coffee mills. The coffee from our farm is considered a Tarrazu coffee, but we believe the geography and microclimate of the farm produces a much more balanced and flavorful coffee than other Tarrazu coffees.
The plantation consists of a total of 1,200 acres of land of which 800 acres are currently in production. Of the remaining 400 acres, there are 200 acres of natural forest preserve located on the south side of the farm that will never be brought into coffee production.
The land lays on a east-west axis, bordered by the Tarrazu river to the south and the Candelaria river to the north. These two rivers converge at the western base of the mountain spur upon which the farm is situated. The soil is a pale clay, tan to light red.
Although there is a section of the farm that approaches 6,000ft in altitude, the central block lies between 3,750 feet and 5,000 feet. The main house is located at an altitude of 4,850 feet. In spite of the considerable altitude differences, the mean temperature variance is minimized by the cooling effect of the large river flow that borders the farm. Importantly, the farm faces the west, which allows for gradual warming in the morning and slow cooling in the evening.
Coffee Plantings
There are approximately 680 acres of coffee in production. We have four varieties of trees under cultivation; CaturraCatuai is a high-yield Arabica cultivar resulting from a cross of Mundo Novo and yellow Caturra. The tree is short, with lateral branches forming close angles to the... ...more, Catuai red, Catuai yellow, and HibridoHibrido means "Hybrid" in latin languages, and in Central America it is sometimes used to mean Bourbon cultivar. ...more. After many years of experimentation, statistical analysis and cup quality testing, we have decided to stay principally with the CaturraCaturra is an Arabica cultivar discovered as a natural mutant of Bourbon in Brazil in the first decade of the 20th century, but wasn't studied until 1937. It... ...more and to continue to maintain a small amount of the old Hibrido.
We plant approximately 2,500 trees per acre on the farm depending upon the geography of the area being planted and the varietyA botanical variety is a rank in the taxonomic hierarchy below the rank of species and subspecies and above the rank of form (form / variety / subspecies... ...more of tree used. This results in a total of about 1,700,000 trees on the farm.
We employ a selective pruning system to maintain the health and productivity of the coffee trees. Highly skilled employees monitor the coffee trees and as necessary, approximately every five years, the tree are pruned. This will encourage the tree to begin new growth. One year after this cutting, the tree is shaped maximize its continued growth. All of this work is performed using hand tools. Each year approximately 350,000 trees are pruned.
After fifteen to twenty years, the trees become exhausted and are replaced with trees from our nursery. This nursery is located on a small, protected area of the farm. The nursery trees are nurtured on this farm for one year prior to being transplanted to the main farm. In a typical year, we transplant about 150,000 trees.
We use the fast growing, broad-leafed �poro� as our shade tree. These trees are planted on a grid of varying densityThe density of a coffee bean is often taken as a sign of quality, as a more dense bean will roast more with a better dynamic. The density... ...more depending on the light requirements and need for temperature control in each individual section of the farm.
Growing Cycle
We produce one crop of coffee each year. For us, the cycle begins with the first rains of the year. These rains normally occur sometime between the end of March and the beginning of May. The timing of the first rain is essential, for it is the rain that signals the tree to begin flowering.
Approximately ten days after the initial rains, small honeysuckle-like flowers form on the trees. Millions of flowers are produced in a spectacular display. The entire farm looks like it is covered in freshly fallen snow. It is a fleeting event, for a few days after they appear, the flowers whither and fall off the trees. The flowering is of critical importance to the coffee crop, for the node where each flower formed will produce a single coffee cherryOriginally coffee literature referred to the fruit of the tree as a "berry" but in time it became a cherry. It is of course neither. Nor is the... ...more, and within this cherryEither a flavor in the coffee, or referring to the fruit of the coffee tree, which somewhat resembles a red cherry.: Either a flavor in the coffee, or... ...more are the coffee seeds which will become the coffee bean. If the flowering is adversely affected by the weather, pollination wil not occur, no cherry will form and there will be no coffee.
From the onset of the initial rains, we enter into the seven month rainy season. During the rainy
season, there will typically be four to six hours of rainfall every day. These rains nurture the trees and encourage the growth and development of the green coffeeGreen coffee refers to the processed seed of the coffee tree fruit. Coffee is a flowering shrub that produces fruit. The seeds of the fruit are processed, roasted,... ...more cherries. The rains also have the potential to create huge problems of road and soil erosion. You will notice that all of the coffee is planted on terraces interspersed with complexThe co-presence of many aroma and flavor attributes, with multiple layers. A general impression of a coffee, similar to judgments such as "balanced" or "structured" ...more water drainage channels. Thousands of man hours are required during the rainy season to control erosion and maintain the road system of the farm.
The rains also encourage the growth of weeds among the coffee trees. We do not use herbicides to control the weeds at La Minita, but instead hire contract labor who use machetes to clear the weeds by hand. We do not believe in introducing unnecessary chemical influences to the farm, it is our home and the well being of its plants, animals and people is important. Each year, every acre of the farm is weeded three times.
All sections of the farm are soil tested twice every year, and we base our fertilization formulas on the results of these tests. We are careful to use the minimum amount of product necessary to achieve production, and we apply it to the base of each tree three times. This is done for both economic and environmental reasons. Additionally, a spray of minor elements (zinc, boron, copper, etc) is applied to the underside of the leaves. This spray nourishes the plant and protects it from diseases.
Insecticides are not used on the farm. Fortunately, the geographic advantages of the farm�s climate and altitude limits the number of insect pests. Most importantly, through our careful cultivation and weeding techniques we produce coffee trees which are strong and healthy. The few pests that we have do not significantly affect the trees.
With the end of the rainy season comes the ripening of the coffee cherries. The large green cherries begin to turn either red or yellow and fill with the sweet miel (honeyIn coffee, honey-like sweetness is often found, but we use terms such as refined honey (highly filtered and processed) as opposed to raw honey rustic honey sweetness. This... ...more) that surrounds the seeds. Unlike the flowering, the ripening of the fruit is slow and uneven. Because of this, harvesting the fruit must be performed carefully. Only the ripe fruit is picked, leaving the still unripe fruit for subsequent pickings. We pick each tree on the farm up to five times to harvest the fruit.
The crop cycle of the farm ends with the �repela�, or the final picking of the trees. This usually occurs at the end of February, and during this pass, all of the coffee cherries, both ripe and unripe, are removed from the trees, preparing the trees for the next year�s cycle.
Farm Infrastructure
The terrain of the farm is very difficult, and we move a great deal of weight in coffee fruit. To aid in the transport of the coffee and to provide access to all areas of the farm, there are a total of about 30 kilometers of internal road system.
As well as the office and storageGreen coffee can be stored much longer than roasted coffee: Roasted coffee starts to lose its aromatics in 10 days after roasting. Green coffee can be stored months... ...more buildings, there are 27 housing units within the farm. There is also a camp with showers, indoor plumbing, and cooking facilities for pickers who live too far away to travel every day. All of the water used in these facilities is fed by springs and is perfectly safe to drink.
We have had a long standing open invitation to all of our clients to come and visit the farm. This year we will host some 75 overnight guests and over 300 single day visitors to the farm during January and February.
Our business offices are located in San Jose in Costa Rica, and Bar Harbor, Maine in the United States.
The People
We have a core of 80 full time employees. This includes; managers, farm workers, clerical staff, drivers and maintenance personnel. All of these full time employees are provided housing for themselves and their families on the farm. This core of people is augmented by approximately 150 contracted laborers to perform weed control and over 600 pickers during the harvest.
It is our policy to assist our workers by actively supporting them in their lives outside of working hours. We contribute matching funds to the workers� association savings plans. This money is used for retirement savings or to fund large purchases such as appliances or furniture. Each year the association organizes a bus trip to Golfito in Southern Costa Rica where large tax free purchases can be made.
The association encourages and funds sports programs. There is a soccer team for the adult men, as well as a junior team. A choir has been organized for the women with a singing instructor attending weekly practices.
We have set up an at cost commissary on the farm for the workers. Bulk purchasing power is used to supply inexpensive goods to cover the workers� basic needs. Fresh vegetables are grown on the farm and made available to the workers. Additionally, there are 3,000 citrus trees (oranges, grapefruits, and limes) as well as avocados and mangoes throughout the farm.
Our own medical clinic is located on the farm near the administration building. A doctor staffs this clinic two days a week to administer to the needs of the workers and their families. We also have a dentist at the farm three days a week to attend to the dental needs of the farm community. The goal of this clinic is to provide preventative care. Detailed records of the medical histories of every person on the farm are kept for future reference. Private hospital care for more serious illnesses is also available.
In San Jose, we have eight people who handle the accounting, quality control, mill management and exportation of all of the coffee that we ship. They supervise the preparationPreparation refers to the dry-milling steps of preparing coffee for export: hulling, grading, classifying, sorting.: Preparation refers to the dry-milling steps of preparing coffee for export: hulling, grading,... ...more of the coffee at the mills and coordinate subsequent shipping. Not one bean of coffee is shipped without prior quality testing and approval at this office.
In the United States, we have five people who are responsible for coffee transport management and customer support. We work closely with our customers to develop blend and roast profiles for the coffees. Additionally, we provide training and education in the taste profiles and processingThe removal of the cherry and parchment from the coffee seed.: Coffee is either wet-processed (also called washed or wet-milled) or dry-processed (also called wild, natural or natural... ...more of the coffees we import.
Coffee Milling
Our coffee millA coffee mill might mean a coffee grinder, but we usually use the term to refer to a coffee processing facility, either a Wet-Mill or a Dry Mill.... ...more, BeneficioIn Kenya, a "Factory" is actually a coffee wet mill (called a washing station in other parts of Africa) where the fresh cherry is brought for wet-processing. It... ...more del Rio Tarrazu, is located on land adjacent to the farm, just across the Tarrazu River We believe our mill to be the most technologically advanced and ecologically sound coffee processing facility in the world.
Wet Processing
The coffee arrives at the mills in large trucks. These trucks pick up the coffee from the receiving stations (recibidores) on the farms and transport it through the mountains to the mills. It is critical that processing of the coffee begins within 24 hours of the coffee being picked from the trees. If the processing is delayed, the fruit will begin to spoil ruining the coffee seeds contained within the cherry.
As the coffee is unloaded from the trucks, it is measured into a large rectangular container called a medida. The bottom of the medida his hinged to allow the coffee to be dropped into the receiving tank after being measured. The receiving tank is filled with water, and it is here that the first quality separation takes place. Any overripe (bellota), seedless (grano vano), or unripe green (verde) cherries float to the top of the tank due to their lower densities. These are channeled off to be processed separately.
The dense ripe fruit sinks to the bottom of the tank, and is moved via a siphon through a destoner (despiedrador). The destoner will remove any stones or heavier density items that may have inadvertently gotten mixed in with the cherries.
A depulper (chancador) then removes the outer skin from the seeds and the miel. It does this by cutting the skin and squeezing the fruit between an inner drum and an outer surface. The distance between the drum and the surface needs to be carefully adjusted to ensure the seeds are not crushed by the depulper. The skins of the coffee are collected and typically trucked back to the coffee farms to be used as a mulch.
The coffee then moves on to a criba . A criba is a cylinder made of bars separated by a precisely measured distance. A screw conveyer moves the cherries through the criba. The purpose of this step is to remove any cherries which did not have the skins removed in the depulper (this may be due to small size or hard unripe fruit) from the properly depulped seeds. The depulped seeds (first quality) fall through the bars of the criba and move on to the fermentationFermentation in coffee processing traditionally referred to the stage in wet-processing of the coffee. We now understand that fermentation happens more broadly in nearly all processes, including honey... ...more tanks, while the undepulped fruit moves on for further processing (second and third qualities).
The coffee spends between 20 and 24 hours in the fermentation tanks (pilas de fermentacion). The fermentation process will break down the sugars in the miel, making it easier to remove the mucilageMucilage indicates the fruity layer of the coffee cherry, between the outer skin and the parchment layer that surrounds the seed. It readily clings to the inner parchment... ...more from the seeds. However, if the coffee remains in the fermentation tanks for too long, the coffee seeds will pick up the taste of rotted fruit. The mill manager makes the all-important decision on when to remove the seeds from the fermentation tank.
From the fermentation tanks, the coffee seeds move to the washing channel (ca�o de lavado). The washing channel serves three purposes. First, the cool temperatures of the water halt the fermentation process that is occurring within the coffee mass. Second, the mucilage, which is now loosened from with the coffee seeds, is washed away, along with any other loose material that has gotten into the coffee (ie. dirt, loose skins). Third, a skilled mill worker will make quality separations of the coffee based on the specific gravity of the beans. The lightest lower quality beans will flow down the channel first, while the most dense flavorful beans will move more slowly. The qualities are separated using a series of slide gates and channels.
Transitional Steps
From the washing channel, the coffee is placed into the mechanical driers (secadores) for the final drying stage. These driers are set at 60 degrees Celsius (140 F) using indirect heat and slowly rotate to evenly finishSimilar to aftertaste, but it refers to the impression as the coffee leaves the palate. Aftertaste is the sensations gathered after the coffee has left the mouth. We... ...more the drying. Again, the mill manager makes the critical decision on when to remove the coffee from the dryer based on its feel, and the ability to remove the parchments skin from the seed. After the coffee is dropped out of the drier, it rests for about 10 hours before being moved. A typical drier load consists of approximately 60 quintales or 6,000 pounds of coffee.
The furnaces used to supply the heat for these driers have recently been replaced with new state of the art furnaces. These furnaces are fueled using the parchmentGreen coffee still in its outer shell, before dry-milling, is called Parchment coffee (pergamino). In the wet process, coffee is peeled, fermented, washed and then ready for drying... ...more shell removed from the beans during the final preparation for the coffee. This as almost completely eliminated our use of wood as an energy source.
At this point, the coffee seed is covered by a hard shell (called the parchment), as well as a thin layer of silverskinOn dried green bean coffee, the thin inner-parchment layer that clings to the bean and lines the crease on the flat side. Silverskin becomes chaff and falls off... ...more. The coffee is moved into large silos, and remains restingEither the resting of parchment coffee after drying, or for the home roaster, post-roast resting.: Resting might refer to "reposo", the time after drying the parchment coffee, when... ...more for at least 20 days. This period of time is called reposa .
Dry Milling
The parchment coffee is run through a huller. This will remove the parchment from the seed as well as the silverskin. The removed parchment is used as a fuel for the coffee driers.
A catadora is then used to separate the coffee by density. This is done by using a flow of air to draw the coffee up a chute with various gates.
The green coffee then moves through a screener to separate the coffee by bean size. One of the best screeningRunning coffee through a screen with holes of a fixed size to sort beans for size.: Running coffee through a screen with holes of a fixed size to... ...more machines for this step in the process is a modified grain separator which was made in Scotland. These machines are extremely accurate (operating using a series of precisely measured holes), and more importantly, very gentle on the coffee. We are in the process of collecting as many of these machines as possible for use in our new mill.
Further sortingCoffee is sorted by size, density, and color in its preparation for export.: Sorting refers to several steps performed in the preparation of coffee for export. Coffee is... ...more occurs with the winnower . The winnower is a slanted table that vibrates, shaking the coffee and separating lesser density coffee from higher densities.
The last step for La Minita coffee is the hand cleaning tables. Here women pore over the coffee looking for a discolored or damaged beans that were not separated by the machines. A top sorter can clean no more than 50 pounds of beans in one day.
Milling Summary
The milling of the coffee is critical in determining the final quality of the coffee. Not only are there chemical changes occurring within the beans that will determine their final cup quality, but also a series of separations that remove the lower quality beans. Of 100 pounds of green equivalent cherries that enter the milling process, only about 23 pounds make it to become La Minita.
La Minita Coffee Descriptions
I found this interesting document in my files of the La Minita “coffee brands” circa 2004. Here’s the way they talked about coffee back then:
La Minita
This coffee is our headliner. We grow it between 4,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level, on a plantation with a unique microclimate, whose production has been prized in Europe for more than half a century.
There is simply no other coffee prepared so carefully. This year, we will use 8,000 fanegas from the heart of our crop. This is the equivalent of 832,000 pounds of green beans. Of this amount, only 210,000 pounds will survive mill classifications to be bagged for shipment. This represents a selective process that reduces our finest raw material by more than 70%.
This is an amazing statistic, especially when considering the more than 30,000 man-hours of improvement by hand selection during final preparation.
We have attempted to produce the perfectly balanced coffee. One that combines all the ingredients that a classic cup should contain: sweet aromaAroma refers to sensations perceived by the olfactory bulb and conveyed to the brain; whether through the nose or "retro-nasally": The aromatics of a coffee greatly influence its... ...more, full bodyAssociated with and sensed by mouthfeel, body is sense of weight and thickness of the brew, caused by the percentage of soluble solids in the cup, including all... ...more, great acidityAcidity is a positive flavor attribute in coffee, also referred to as brightness or liveliness. It adds a brilliance to the cup, whereas low acid coffees can seem... ...more, and delicately clean aftertasteAftertaste refers to lingering residual sensations in the mouth after coffee has swallowed. It might be distinguished from "finish" which is the final sensations of the coffee while... ...more. All in balanceSuggests a harmony and proportion of qualities, and implies mildness since no one quality dominates.: Balance is both an obvious and slippery taste term. It implies a harmony... ...more and with no impurities to detract from its enjoyment. In a word: elegant.
Many of our clients unconditionally state that La Minita is the best coffee that they offer. It has received considerable press exposure and public approval, and we are into our twelfth year. This year’s coffee has an extraordinary taste of a fine milk chocolateA general flavor or aroma term reminiscent of chocolate. But what type? Usually described with more specifics.: Chocolate is a broad, general flavor or aroma term reminiscent of... ...more truffle, it is as good as any coffee that we have ever produced.
El Conquistador
Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon to us) discovered Costa Rica on his fourth, and last, voyage to the west. This of course, led to the extraordinary colonization of the New World by a tiny group of Spanish “Hidalgos”. We thought it only fitting that a coffee that has conquered the European market for decades be called “El Conquistador”.
For many years a coffee from the Dota region has gone mostly to one single roaster in Germany. The really good Dota is a fairly small beaned coffee of exceptional density and heavy body. It has a taste of dark chocolate that is unlike any other Costa Rican coffee.
La Magnolia
The Costa Rican magnolia is a lovely pale pink and white flower of sweet aroma and velvet petals, as a symbol for this coffee it is the ideal trademark. We were looking for a coffee that honestly represented fine Costa Rican coffee. We found such a coffee in Tres Rios.
I knew of a mill whose coffee had always celebrated an excellent reputation in Europe, but was not known in the United States. It’s a small mill that processes coffee with great tradition and artistry.
La Magnolia has acidity, body and flavor. but the exceptional characteristic of this coffee is the sweet aroma.
This is a coffee that we feel is a much better value than other Tres Rios coffees that enjoy good reputations in the United States. It is beautifully prepared and reasonably priced.
El lndio
The indigenous population of Costa Rica is relatively small, with most remaining cultures located in the Southern part of the country. However, pre-Colombian art wrought in gold, jade and pottery has left a fabulous heritage and this national treasure gives pride to all modern Costa Ricans.
The dignity and grace representative of the native peoples of Costa Rica provide a fitting logo for this Tarrazu coffee. It is the classic heavy bodied, wineyA taste term to describe a wine-like flavor with a similar perceived acidity and fruit, and some level of acetic acid. It is found most commonly in East... ...more Tarrazu with the huge flavor prized for so many years in Germany and Scandinavia.
La Lapa
“La Lapa” is Spanish for the beautifully colored Macaw of Costa Rica. This is the trademark of the work horse of our coffees. Under this trademark we have shipped coffee from one of three different mills depending upon the following criteria: the shipping time of year in relation to the crop and the specific usage of the client, (depth of roast, blend, flavoring, etc.).
It is always shipped with superior European preparationEuropean Preparation indicates that additional hand sorting has been performed on the coffee at the mill after optical sorting. The terms is used in central and south America.... ...more, always made up of “primeras”, the best of the crop), and always consistent.
This carefully prepared coffee makes the ideal coffee to be used for dark roasts, as a basis for blends, and for flavoring (we have several clients who are also using it for a straight). It is very reasonably priced for a coffee of this category. We feel that it represents on of the great buys of the coffee world
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Many of my clients had complained to me about the inconsistency of their Guatemalan Antiguas, and several asked me if would see if could help them solve their problem with a coffee that they intrinsically loved, but which invariably frustrated them in its preparation. The following trademark is the result of our efforts.
La Flor del Café Antigua
This is our Guatemalan trademark. It comes from the Pastores mill in the heart of Antigua. This is the largest coffee mill in Antigua, and they receive both fruit and parchment coffee. All of the delivered lots are segregated. We go into the mill and draw samples of all the year’s delivered coffee and choose the lots from which I wish to prepare my shipments. The coffee that we select is the absolute cream of the crop. Then, when it is time for us to make a shipment, I fly my quality control team from Costa Rica to GuatemalaGuatemalan coffee is considered a top quality coffee producer in Central America. Due to our proximity to Guatemala, some of the nicest coffees from this origin come to... ...more where they supervise the preparation of the coffee. Our goal is to not only supply coffee from the best possible raw material, but to also ensure that it conforms to our usual standard of preparation.
Some years ago, one of our best clients, Mr. George Howell, of the Coffee Connection in Boston, asked us if we would be willing to go to ColombiaColombian coffee is highly marketed and widely available in the US. They have been largely successful at equating the name Colombian Coffee with "Good" Coffee. This is half-true.... ...more, and acquire for him the very best coffee we could find. However, he did not just want a standard SupremoA Colombian coffee grade referring to screen size of 17-18 screen. In the traditional bulk Arabica business, Supremo was the top grade Colombia, with Excelso one step below... ...more preparation. He wanted us to have the coffee prepared to our Costa Rican standards for Europrep coffee.
We arranged for the exclusive use of a very small and old fashioned dry millA facility that accepts dried coffee cherry and mechanically separates the coffee bean from the dried fruit and parchment layer. The facility can be highly mechanized, as in... ...more located in the Andean town of Pasto, in the province of Narino. Production capacity of this “trilladora” is only two to four containers per month. Our coffee is the only coffee processed at this facility.
Reserva del Patron
This coffee is without question drawn from the finest Colombian plantations. It comes from Narino, the southernmost province of Colombia. We have arranged to have coffee separated from selected high altitude farms that grow only the Borbon and Caturra varieties of coffee. This is “heart of the crop” coffee and limited to only about 6,000 bags per year (the Narino zone’s total production is approximately 150,000 bags per year). The preparation is done according to our strict Costa Rican Europrep standards and is distinct from any other Colombian coffee. There is more acidity, body and flavor than any other Colombian coffee.
Narino del Abuelo
This is the other preparation from our Narino mill. It is made up of the same coffee, but is prepared
using a slightly wider classification criteria than the Reserva del Patron (for example we don’t remove the peaberryA peaberry is a green coffee "bean" that has a rounded form: Coffee is the dried seed from the fruit of a flowering tree - each fruit having... ...more from this preparation). However, it exhibits the same cup quality and meets the standards of European coffee and exhibits the same cup characteristics, at a somewhat lesser price.
Caracol de Narino
Caracol is the Spanish word for peaberryThe Spanish-language term for Peaberry is the same for "snail". See Peaberry for more information on the single bean fruit of the coffee tree. A peaberry is the... ...more. Peaberries occur when one of the two seeds in the coffee fruit does not develop. The remaining seed becomes round in shape, and remains much smaller than a traditional “flat” bean. The peaberries retain much of the taste characteristics of the flat beans, but have a very concentrated intense flavor. They will also tend to have more acidity than their “flat” cousins.
