Set your alarm! Our next Reserve coffee will be launching on Thursday, July 21st, 2022 at 7:30am – Bergamot Geisha Costa Rica. This coffee will be available at stonecreekcoffee.com and our cafes but in limited supply. Also starting tomorrow, you’ll be able to taste this delicious coffee on our Brew Bar if you’re looking for a manually brewed cup in our cafes. Get a 12oz bag of this Reserve coffee for $35 starting on Thursday.
Hacienda Sonora is a family farm located in the Central Valley of Costa Rica at the foot of the Poas Volcano in Carrillo, Alajuela. Alberto Guardia took the farm over in the 1970s as the family’s fourth generation of coffee producers. He planted coffee over the majority of the land, making coffee production the primary source of income for the farm.
In 1999, Alberto invested in a mill for the estate to maximize the quality of his coffee. This shift to processing his own coffee led to him becoming a pioneer in alternative processing techniques for the area, implementing Honey and Natural processes into his production. All coffee from Sonora is processed using Honey or Natural methods to obtain distinct sweetness and enhanced fruit notes, highlighting the range of cup profiles resulting from the different varieties grown on the farm. By using only Natural and Honey processes, Hacienda Sonora is able to reduce water usage and saves three gallons of water per pound of coffee.
In 2011, Alberto’s son Diego joined the operation as co-manager. Hacienda Sonora Estate has been in the family for more than a century now, and Diego is now the fifth generation of coffee producers in his family.
The farm covers approximately 100 hectares of land, including 65 hectares of shaded coffee and 35 hectares of wild forest reserve. Coffee is grown here surrounded by diverse trees and other vegetation, providing excellent conditions for production and improving the chemistry of the already rich volcanic soil. Thanks to the diverse ecosystem at Sonora, many species of birds and animals call the farm their natural habitat.
Alberto and Diego carry on the family’s long history of caring for the environment at Hacienda Sonora. 100% of the power consumed by the farm is generated from renewable energy sources on the property, including harvesting power from a freshwater stream using a special turbine called a Pelton Wheel. This energy supplies power to the coffee mill and generates free electricity for workers living on the farm.
The Guardia family holds Hacienda Sonora to high standards for quality coffee and environmental responsibility, and social responsibility. Employees at the farm receive the full benefits of the Costa Rican health insurance program. Hacienda Sonora also provides free living accommodations, including most household utilities, for each worker and their families in the houses on the property.
This lot of Geisha coffee underwent Natural processing at Hacienda Sonora’s micro mill. The Natural process at Sonora is unique in that it completely omits the use of raised drying beds. As part of Sonora’s focus on scalability and efficiency, combined with rigid cupping sessions, Diego found the best quality in drying the coffee cherries on large black sheets made of braided plastic threads known as zaran.
Harvested cherries are first floated with fresh spring water to sort out any defects or impurities from the fields. The zaran is laid out on short-cut grass fields, and coffee cherries are spread out in thin layers. Cherries enjoy direct sunlight from the morning into the afternoon. At the end of each day, the large sheets of zaran are rolled up with a tractor and stacked as a pyramid overnight. Drying takes around two weeks to reach 14% humidity, at which point the coffee is stored in Sonora’s warehouse to rest. Shortly before going through the on-site dry mill, the drying process is finished in dryers known as “guardiolas.” The coffee is finished and prepared for export in Sonora’s dry mill, where it is rigorously sorted for screen size, density, and color using the latest optical technologies.
We’re very proud to continue our relationship with Alberto, Diego, and Hacienda Sonora which began in 2020. For the Guardia’s, it is key to find “that balance between slow dry and clean cup.” Bergamot Geisha is a stellar example of what good farming practices and great natural processing can do to coffee. Packed with notes of bergamot and cashew butter, and the brightness akin to lime and ripe blueberries, this is an offering you won’t want to miss. Grab a bag starting tomorrow at 7:30am when you click the button below.
CLICK starting 7:30AM ON THURSDAY, JULY 21, 2022 TO SHOP BERGAMOT GEISHA RESERVE