Should we still highlight Tarrazú, one of the most renowned coffee regions? Located about a two-hour drive south of San José, Tarrazú is Costa Rica’s coffee goldmine. Its mountainous terrain, lush vegetation, and well-defined seasons create ideal conditions for coffee cultivation. Coffee plantations here thrive at elevations above 1,500 meters, allowing the cherries to mature slowly and fully develop their flavors. While the average farm size is around 3 hectares, many coffee producers rely on external washing stations and deliver their ripe cherries to a Beneficio—a wet mill in Costa Rica. Located in the heart of the Tarrazú and Tres Ríos regions, BeneficioSan Diego specialises in the processing of the local coffees. The mill takes pride in striving for ever increasing efficiency and quality standards. At the same time it has taken a leading role in working with producers to ensure good community relations and sustainable production. Beneficio San Diego has a rich expertise in coffee processing and a long tradition in innovation. They have creafted unique processes, including thermal fermentation tanks and the use of kookaburra COFFEE CO. yeast, to create truly unique cup profiles. To produce the Yeast Honey lot, they have selected cherries at their rippest (Brix degree: 26), depulped them as in the tradition honey process and placed the wet parchments on sun patios. An artisanal yeast is sprayed over the drying parchments, enabling the team to regulate the fermentation process and the sugar break-down.
