We love Costa Rican coffee – a dollarised economy has meant speciality producers have focused on value addition through processing and variety exploration, supported by a strong program of coffee agronomical research from multiple institutes in the country. This lot from Las Margaritas 26, a stunningly high farm for CR (2000 MASL), stood out in blind cupping for the clear citrus, stonefruit and floral notes we found.

The H-17 variety, a hybrid between Catuaí and an Ethiopian landrace, seems to show the distinct genetic expressions from both parents – Catuaí sweetness and rich base notes, particularly pronounced at this elevation, with classic Ethiopian florals and fruits.

This interplay and tension between the variety lineage expression is why we chose this coffee as the competition coffee for the UK Independent Filter Championships Northern Heat.