If you've been buying our Aquiares lots already this year then all the info below will be old news to you. Here's a little summary for the heads:
This lot is one of the nicest naturals I've ever tasted, it tastes like a less intense version of the "churro" thermal natural we buy.
Centroamericano is a hybryd of Sarchimor and Sudan Rume
Aquaires is the best, it's all carbon neutral biodiverse etc.
Everybody who lives on the farm is well looked after (over 90% of them own their homes on the estate and it generally looks like a lovely place to live).
Diego Robelo is the producer and he's really bloody nice.
Aquiares, meaning "land between rivers" in the Huetar indigenous language, is Costa Rica's largest coffee farm and home to 1,800 people. Known today as "Aquiares Coffee and Community," the estate dates back to 1890. However, its transformation came a century later when Alfonso Robelo, fleeing the Nicaraguan civil war in the 1980s, arrived in Costa Rica. A political figure in his homeland, Alfonso sought refuge from violence and threats to his life. Upon settling in Costa Rica, he began rebuilding the Aquiares community on the lush slopes of the Turrialba volcano, a region rich with forests, rivers, and vibrant flora and fauna.
Alfonso brought a forward-thinking approach to Aquiares, challenging the traditional landowner-worker relationship. At the time, the farm struggled with low coffee prices and instability, and its workforce lived in employee housing without ownership. Alfonso saw this as an opportunity to foster pride in the work by offering workers the chance to buy their homes. This change transformed the farm into a thriving small town, and today, Aquiares is recognised as a model of sustainable agriculture.
Now managed by Alfonso’s son Diego, Aquiares has embraced specialty coffee and innovative agricultural techniques. By introducing new coffee varieties and experimenting with processing methods, the farm has become a leader in specialty coffee production across Costa Rica and Central America.
Aquiares is also committed to environmental sustainability, focusing on carbon neutrality. The farm carefully measures its greenhouse gas emissions, which are verified by an agent following International Panel on Climate Change standards. As part of Costa Rica's Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action, Aquiares balances its carbon emissions with offsets, while its protected biological corridors help maintain local biodiversity. The farm also welcomes researchers from around the world to study agroforestry, soil health, and the rich biodiversity that thrives in its agroecological environment.
One standout variety produced at Aquiares is the Centroamericano H1, an F1 hybrid of Sarchimor T-5296 and wild Rume Sudan. Grown through tissue culture cloning known as somatic embryogenesis, this variety has gained popularity among Central American coffee producers in the last decade. Turrialba’s climate is ideal for the complex nutritional needs of this high-yielding, rust-resistant hybrid, which also offers an elegant and intricate flavour profile. This specific lot of Centroamericano H1 was mechanically washed and dried on raised beds in a solar dryer for 18 to 24 days.
