| Country | Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Farm | Don Cayito - Los Angeles |
| Varietal | Arabica Geisha |
| Processing | Yellow Honey |
| Crop | March 2024 |
| Partnership | since 2015 |
| Flavour | Juicy & Exotic |
Fun - the bets of the best
Fun is the pinnacle of our offering. These are the best coffees that farmers produce on their farms, featuring exclusive varieties or experimental processes. Flavor-wise, they offer unique experiences for an extraordinary taste journey. Fun are the coffees that simply delight.
Honey processed geisha from Don Cayito won this year Cup of Excellence and placed 3rd in 2023. That is already some achievement! Furthermore, it fetched the highest ever price in Costa Rican coffee trade history. We chose this coffee in March during our annual visit.
Fun is best enjoyed as filtered coffee, where the flavor profile of the coffee fully unfolds.
Successful family farm
Don Cayito farm is located in 2100 masl in the famous Tarrazu region (map). Ricardo Calderón has been growing coffee here since 1978. In 2009, during the micromill revolution, he built his own beneficio called Los Angeles and begun processing his own coffees. In the year 2011, he won the prestigious Cup of Excellence competition. In 2018 Don Cayito geisha set the highest price per pound of green coffee ever sold in the Costa Rican coffee market.
Don Caytio - not only a coffee farm
Currently, the Calderón family owns 15 farms. Ricardo´s two sons (Majkl and Diego) and two daughters (Liseth and Fernanda) help with all aspects of coffee farming. Their highest elevation farm Don Cayito is managed by Diego. Most of the coffee cherries are processed using Colombian Penagos eco-pulpers. Drying is either on traditional concrete patios or African beds. Parchment is usually stored in huge jumbo bags.
Fernanda currently takes care of the newly built coffee shop, roastery, pastry shop and training center, which all bear the name Don Cayito. The coffee shop quickly became a destination spot not to miss when travelling in the Tarrazu region. There is also an amazing view of the Don Cayito farm directly from the shop.
Geisha Panameno
Nowadays, you can find the real geisha variety in many places in Costa Rica. But be aware, most of the time the geisha you get from the local farmers is actually a nicer version of typica variety (so called typica mejorada). Typica mejorada reminds you of geisha variety so much (with its flavours and shape) that it has started being called geisha too.
The Calderon family purchased their geisha seeds from CATIE research center, which can guarantee their pedigree. The seeds have the typical elongated shape that we recognize from the classic geishas from Panama. The aromatics and flavours have amazing intensity and express all the qualities that we love geishas for.
