Filter Coffee - Diego Robelo - Centroamericano Flower Culture

The innovative flower-culture coffee from Costa Rica

This coffee, cultivated by Diego Robelo at Aquiares Estate, showcases mastery in processing. Fermented with coffee flowers this lot makes good use of the unique flowering patterns at Aquiares to incorporate this into the fermentation and boast incredible floral notes.

Coffee highlights

Taste profile: Delicate and floral with notes of pear and vanilla.
Processing: method: Flower Culture
Bean origin: Turrialba, Costa Rica
Variety: Centroamericano
Harvest season: January 2024
Altitude: 1,100 – 1,400masl

Why choose Costa Rica Flower Culture coffee?

1. An unique process

   The process is developed by Daniel Batalla on the Aquiares Estate. This process is only possible because the coffee trees flower during the harvest period. 

2. Distinct flavor profile

   Bursting with floral notes of jasmin and orange blossom this coffee is sure to impress everyone who loves delicate cups.

3. Sustainable innovation

   Diego Robelo's innovative approach turns commodity coffee into specialty-grade offerings, elevating the value of the harvest.

Brewing tips for Costa Rica Flower Culture Coffee

This coffee works especially well in pour-over filter coffee.

From farm to coffee cup – the story of Flower Culture

Flower Culture processing began thanks to a unique characteristic at Aquaires Estate; during harvest, sporadic flowering can occur on the coffee plants due to the influence of Caribbean rains. These coffee flowers contain unique flower-inhabiting yeasts which feed on the nectar of the flowers during the first day of blooming.

The team at Aquiares collected a number of these flowers, isolating the wild yeasts and creating a microbial culture to be used in processing this lot of Centroamericano coffee. Left to grow and reproduce in an agar, Diego and his team found a native strain of Metschnikowia Pulcherrima as well as smaller colonies of Hanseniaspora species.

This culture was used to inoculate the fermentation tanks where pulped coffee was sealed and fermented for three days. The pulped, fermented coffee was sun-dried until it reached a 10.5% humidity.

Coffee roasting details

The coffee is roasted fast and light to highlight the floral notes.

• Roast Profile: Light roast at 201.1°C in 10 minutes with a 30 second development time.

Ethical and Sustainable Practices

At Aquiares, sustainability goes beyond farming:

• The farm is Rain Forest Alliance and Carbon Neutral certified.
• Education, health care and child care is offered to all farm-workers.
• Coffee is shade-grown and forms a natural habitat for wild life.