Los Santos is a stunning, mountainous zone in central-southern Costa Rica, in the province of San José. It encompasses the cantons of Dota, Leon Cortes Castro and Tarrazú—the latter of which is the most well-known and respected coffee area in Costa Rica. In 2019, Tarrazú received a Denomination of Origin (DOE) certification, a legal distinction that, like Champagne in France, can only be applied to coffees from the area. For decades, a swath of these mountains — all benefitting from the same cool, humid climates, rich, volcanic soil, narrow valleys and lofty altitudes — were considered Tarrazú. The legal determination, however, is a decidedly smaller portion of the area. Our new Los Santos Diez Pueblos, previously Tarrazú Don Roberto, has been renamed to reflect that change and to celebrate exactly where this coffee is from — which is exactly the same land and the same thousands of smallholder producers that it has always come from.
This coffee was hand picked by smallholder producers and delivered, at the end of the harvest day, to either the Palmichal micromill or two other nearby mills. Throughout the night, the coffee was de-pulped and washed. It was later dried on patios and finally mechanically dried at low temperatures and with steady airflow. Our colleagues at NKG export company Ceca developed this coffee for InterAmerican and each year deliver a cup that meets the same profile.
