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Coffee Info
- Country: Costa Rica
- Region: Naranjo
- Farmer: Ricardo Perez Barrantes
- Elevation: 1,750 meters above sea level
- Processed at: Helsar micro mill
- Varietals: Typica, Villalobos, Caturra
Please note that this is an espresso roast. If you would like to try this coffee, but don't use an espresso machine at home, try our drip roast of the same coffee.
Story
“I didn’t really think that I would win. But I tightened up my set from yesterday and I was relaxed and simply did my best." That's what Transcend professional barista and trainer said right after winning the 2011 Canadian National Barista Competition on October 3. And you can taste the coffee that helped Josh win the top prize.
We're very proud that the coffee that won the national barista competition is not only one that we're currently serving, but a coffee we've served for three years running. Sometimes roasters will buy a very small amount of a special coffee just for a competition and if you can buy it at all as a customer, it is just for a short time after the competition. We work as hard as we can to make sure that every coffee we serve is special, and capable of winning competitions in the hands of skilled baristas. That makes us especially happy to share this coffee with you.
It tastes great as straight espresso, showing blackberry jam and crisp acidity, and terrific with milk in a cappuccino with intense caramel sweetness and butterscotch.
Transcend's founder, Poul Mark has visited this farm three times now: once in the spring of 2009 and twice in 2010. The Santa Lucía farm and the Helsar mill is owned by Ricardo Perez Barrantes who has over 30 years of experience in growing coffee and understands the nuances of processing in order to achieve the highest levels of quality. Poul recounts that while visiting the farm, he was excited to see Ricardo playing with a small home roaster so that he could begin to assess the quality of his product; “he was brewing his coffee in a French press, it is rare for a farmer to actually taste his own coffee, yet alone have the opportunity to roast it and sample the quality right on the farm.”
Ricardo Perez and his partners the Rodriguez Bros. have been producing amongst the best organic coffees in Costa Rica. For some years now, their farms, Santa. Lucía and Los Anonos have won COE and Cosecha de Oro first places, which confirm the impeccable milling and state-of-the-art organic management in their farms. They also process conventional coffee from a small select group of their neighbors at the Helsar mill. The micro-region of Llano Bonito is considered to be blessed by perfect weather conditions for the production of superb coffees. They assure premium prices to these producers and manage their milling with absolute traceability.
The Helsar De Zarcero micro mill where this coffee is processed was certified as being carbon neutral for the period of May 2011 - May 2012 by the Control Union Certification Body. This is truly an exceptional achievement and something to be celebrated.
Reviews
Product Reviews
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Surprise in a cup!
Posted by Mercier on 30th Nov 2011
Here is the story. A friend of mine dropped by Transcend when she was on tour last month. She brought back a bag of this coffee. I am an avid coffee drinker and this coffee is very surprising, not only for what you pay, but especially for what it does to your taste buds. And it's organic?! Your brain will refuse to believe its taste.
The coffee is true to its description, especially the creamy part. For those of you to whom it may ring a bell, it's taste is similar to the Kagumoini that Terroir was roasting some two years ago, but only better (and cheaper...). I have been been looking for that taste ever since Terroir stopped producing that coffee to replace it with another roast that did not quite do it for me (the Mamuto, not a replacement at all in terms of richness and soooo expensive). And you know what it is when you loved something and you can't find it anymore ? You try other things in hopes it can fulfill that deep void... But what are the odds that you find the perfect fit again ? Well, I found it and it's better too. I will be forever grateful to Transcend. In my honest opinion, this is the best espresso I drank in a long while and I am gonna stick with it for a long while too (I am ordering five bags now)!
I am drinking something else right this moment and it feels like I am cheating, somehow... Just go fetch a bag or order one. If you like very creamy espresso, the likeliness of you not buying or not wanting to buy another bag of this champion is just a tad lower than the odds of winning the lottery. Simple, isn't it?
