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Diego Robelo
Mariana Thermal Shock

Diego Robelo's Mariana Thermal Shock

This microlot of the innovative Mariana F1 Hybrid underwent an experimental process named Thermal Shock. This combination of plant genetics and fermentation science is a testament to the dedication of the team at Aquiares to advance coffee in every field possible.

Why choose the Mariana Thermal Shock?

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  Intense Fermentation: Unusually high sugar content in the coffee cherries allows for intense fermentation at high temperatures, creating bold and funky flavours.
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  A Ground-breaking Cultivar: This cultivar is at the forefront of coffee breeding and may hold the key to more climate-resilient coffee production.
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  Sustainable Innovation: Aquiares is always at the forefront of innovation in all fields, agriculturally, socially and of course in quality.

From Farm to Coffee Cup

Currently Aquiares is one of the few farms in the world to produce the Mariana F1 Hybrid. The plant was initially developed at a research lab in Nicaragua by manually pollinating coffee flowers of the Iapar 59 (itself an introgressed Sarchimor hybrid) and a male-sterile Ethiopian landrace variety. This cross combines the resistant and productive characteristics of the Iapar 59 with the excellent quality potential of the Ethiopian landrace variety.

This technique has been used to create other popular F1 hybrids such as Centroamericano and Esperanza. Mariana, however, has an additional layer of uniqueness. It is the only F1 hybrid in the world that can be propagated by seed. Normally such a cross results in the offspring being sterile—as happens with mules, for example. The combined genetics are so introgressed that further procreation is genetically impossible.

With Mariana, this is not the case as one of the parent plants is already male-sterile. The exact science of this goes well beyond the scope of a coffee product page, but the implication for the coffee farming community is huge, as this may make excellent varieties available at a fraction of the cost they used to be. We are proud that Aquiares is an active participant in the development of this plant through their partnership with World Coffee Research.

The processing selected for this lot is the Thermal Shock process. The name stems from the intensity of the temperature during fermentation. The freshly harvested cherries are cleaned with spring water to remove any impurities and then rolled up in a plastic sheet to stimulate the fermentation, which causes temperatures of up to 65 degrees Celsius. In the controlled environment of the greenhouse, this process lasts 72 hours, after which the coffee is taken out of the rolled-up plastic and dried on raised beds inside the greenhouse for 15 days. Once drying is completed, the coffee is rested for three months before export.

Inside Aquiares Estate: Innovation with Diego Robelo

Discover the story of Diego Robelo and how his family transformed one of the oldest estates in Costa Rica.

Read the Story ➔ 

Coffee Roasting Details

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

• ➔ Roast Profile: Light Roast • 199.1°C in 9:37 minutes • 24s Development Time

Ethical & 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.