Meet Diego and his family from Hacienda Sonora

Alberto Guardìa has been growing coffee for over 50 years. His family farm - with the melodious name Hacienda Sonora, is located on the fertile foothills of the famous Poas volcano in Costa Rica's West Valley. It is largely surrounded by untouched virgin forest. The preservation of the rainforest is very important to the Guardìa family. That is why they simply let it grow and in it their coffee plants. The coffee trees ripen excellently under the protective roof of the shady trees: they receive enough moisture to develop optimally. A Pelton turbine powered by the water power of a stream is used as the energy source for the entire finca. This raging, beautiful body of water supplies the entire finca with '100 % green energy'. We have known the Guardìas for several years now and are happy to have met such an exceptional family that grows unique coffees every year with understanding and love for nature.

Coffee from Costa Rica

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Processing in Costa Rica

At Hacienda Sonora, there is a lot of experimentation. Die große Verantwortung der Farmer liegt hier nicht nur im Anbau und somit in der richtigen Agrarkultur, sondern auch in der Weiterentwicklung von Prozessierungsmethoden. Bekannte und beliebte Verarbeitungsmethoden für Kaffee sind die gewaschene und die "Natural"-Methode. Doch mehr und mehr werden Anaerobe Methoden ausprobiert, also die Fermentierung der Kaffeebohnen in Tanks. Diese können offen sein (aerob) oder geschlossen (anaerob). Je nachdem wie lange die Kaffeebohnen der Fermentierung ausgesetzt sind, variiert ihr Geschmacksprofil. Not only Diego from Hacienda Sonora, but also his neighbour a few kilometres away in Tarrazú, farmer Don Martin, is a master of this craft. Do you already know the 777 process? It was developed by Don Martin himself and is very much appreciated by us. Headroster Anthony especially likes to taste these coffee lots.

Cultivation of new varieties

Costa Rica offers a unique flora and fauna. Diese und das Terroir, nährstoffreiche Vulkanerde auf großer Höhe bieten großartige Voraussetzungen für den Anbau von Kaffeepflanzen. The SL28 variety - developed at Scott Laboratories - from Africa also develops special notes on the soil of Costa Rica. This lot was grown by Diego Guardia at the Hacienda Sonora. Ein ungewöhnlicher Schritt, neue Sorten aus anderen Ländern zu kultivieren. Doch unglaublich erfolgreich. Headroaster Anthony provided a light filter profile for the beans.
Discover new varieties

Geisha from Costa Rica

The Geisha variety is a wild variety from Ethiopia. The variety became famous in Panama when it broke all records at an auction in 2005: a lot from the La Esmeralda farm won the "Best of Panama" competition. Since then, it has become more popular every year. In 2020, the record price of $1,300/500g was achieved in an auction. The variety has since been grown in most coffee countries and produces extremely complex cup profiles. The Geisha variety develops exciting flavour profiles due to the volcanic soil of Costa Rica. Complex fruity notes of stone fruits meet strong sweetness and a floral, light finish. Both Hacienda Sonora and Don Martin of Finca La Chumeca grow Gesisha coffees. But the processing methods differ greatly and make for widely varying cup profiles.