Costa Rica Volcan Azul San Isidro Natural
This season we bought four different process variations (of San Isidro varietal) from Volcan Azul. The natural process of San Isidro is delicate, complex, and delicious. It’s an easy coffee to set up and one I am happy to take home and drink more of.
Top Trumps
Farmer: Alejo Castro
Farm: Volcan Azul
Area: Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Established: 1850, 5th generation farm.
Hectares: 55
Altitude: 1540-1720 Meters above sea level
Varietal: San Isidro
Process: Natural
Filter Recipe:60-70g a litre. Soft (or filtered) water will make this sweeter for filter.
Roast: One Roast
Cup Potential:
Aromatics: Chocolate & Ripe fruit sugars | Body: Light-medium | Acidity: Plum/ Rhubarb|
On opening, this is tart, a little like plum and rhubarb jam. Swiftly opening into sweet, juicy red and white fruity sweetness. This is followed by subtle, deep blueberry, clean, and ripe fruit sugars with a whiff of lavender. Simply (subjectively!) this is a perfectly produced natural.
Espresso
9 oz Milk-based drink: This is quite ripe and stone fruity, through whole milk.
6oz Milk-based. More depth, more ripeness, more fruit, more everything.
Espresso– I literally could not believe how soft and sweet this coffee was and with a broad extraction range too. I was expecting sours and citrus, but not at all. Just balance.
Espresso Recipe:
Milk-based drinks 18g into 36g in 26-30 Seconds. More extraction time wouldn’t hurt, but this worked.
Espresso 18g into 50g in (wait for it) 22+ seconds. I would add a big range here up to 35! and advise playing. I set this up with a Mahlkonig E65 and it was on the finer end of the scale but still brewed nicely.
Farm Stuff:
Volcan Azul are exemplary producers. San Isidro is a varietal of Sarchimor descent (a hybrid of Villa Sarchi and Timor) developed in cooperation with Finca Volcán Azul in Costa Rica. It is named after the nearby town of San Isidro. This variety is high quality with good yielding, and disease resistance.
