*Roast days are Tuesday and Thursday. Order by Monday 12pm EST
for Wednesday shipment or Wednesday 12pm for Friday shipment
*Roast days are Tuesday and Thursday. Order by Monday 12pm EST
for Wednesday shipment or Wednesday 12pm for Friday shipment
Specs
Producer Castro-Kahle Family
Farm Volcan Azul
Region Poas, West Valley, Costa Rica
Harvest Spring 2024
Varieties SL28
Process Washed
Altitude 1,650 masl
Importer Apex
Producer Profile
The Castro-Kahle family began producing coffee in the early days of the 19th century. All these years later, the family continues to produce coffee in three different volcanic regions in Costa Rica. At Volcan Azul, a wide and ever growing selection of varieties are planted. VA pushes boundaries of quality and experimentation by continusouly refining the various processing methods used on the farm; creating many distinct varietal expressions. All of this done with an eye towards environmental stewardship. Over the years, the Castro-Kahle family has acquired over 1,500 hectares of Costa Rican rainforest for ecological protection.
About 25% of the coffee grown in Costa Rica comes from the West Valley region. Elevations here range from 900-1400 masl, and the region is blessed with a variety of micro-climates suitable for coffee production. A substantial portion of the country's Cup of Excellence winners come out of the West Valley.
SL28 is one of the best-known and highly sought-after varieties in Kenya. It was originally selected in the 1930s by Scott Laboratories. It is well regarded for its high-quality potential, its resistance to drought as well as its rusticity, meaning that it can survive on its own for years and later be brought back into production. Unfortunately, it is highly susceptible to coffee diseases. As such, we see less and less single variety SL from Kenya year after year as farmers naturally choose to rely more on disease-resistant hybrids. At the same time, SL28 it has made its way to Latin America, most notably Costa Rica.
While most washed coffee is pulped, fermented, then washed, Volcan Azul's washed coffee is mechanically demucilaged.
IMPORTER | Direct-Importation Handled by Apex |
FARMGATE PRICINGWhat's this?FOB: "Freight on board," usually the price paid to the coffee exporter for coffee ready to ship. This includes price paid to the producer as well as milling, warehousing and transportation costs plus any intermediaries' fees and export costs. Farmgate: the price paid by the exporter or other buyer to the producer or producer organization. | Volcan Azul exports their own coffee and sets their own prices. |
SUBTEXT PAID | $12.85 USD per lb |
LOT SIZE | Total lot size of 90 kg. Subtext purchased the full lot. |
RELATIONSHIP LENGTH | We have been working with Alejo and Volcan Azul since 2020. Volcan Azul sells their coffee directly to Subtext and Apex handles the importation into Canada. |
QUALITY | Subtext cupping score of 87 |