Similar to our San Isidro, the El Canal farm sends their harvest to the Las Lajas mill for processing (click here to find the story behind this charming mill). Las Lajas employs careful selection of any coffee they bring into their facility and their standards show up in the cup. The Villa Sarchi varietal (a natural mutation of the more common Bourbon) is a smaller seed that has a bit more resistance to environmental factors than other coffees in the region. After careful and intentional cultivation, Las Lajas applies their signature Double Diamond anaerobic fermentation to these cherries.

Don’t worry, we didn’t know what “Double Diamond” meant either, but the Chacons (owners of the Las Lajas mill) explained it to us. In this processing method, the mill puts the whole cherries in closed tanks full of water and adds yeast to kickstart the fermentation process. The tanks are temperature controlled at 12 degrees celcius (54 degrees fahrenheit) for 3-4 days, until the proper pH balance is achieved. The descriptor “anaerobic” refers to the absence of oxygen as the cherries begin their fermentation. Once out of the tanks, the cherries are laid out on beds to slowly dry in a controlled environment. Often times, anaerobic coffees can taste funky, having notes of vinegar and leaning vegetal. No hate to those coffees, but it isn’t our preference. We were delighted to find this zestful, fruit-forward coffee. It does have the mellow funk fans of anerobic coffees enjoy, but it is accompanied by really lovely, bright citrus and stonefruit notes. In the end, the flavor of the El Canal reminds us of a boozy yogurt parfait (in a good way), that’s something we haven’t tasted in coffee before now.

We recognize how lucky we are to be able to offer this coffee to you. Las Lajas exclusively offers micro-lots, meaning their harvests are small, and the coffee is usually reserved on-site. It’s been a goal of ours for a decade to bring in coffee of this caliber and we’re so excited to share it with you now.

The El Canal coffee opened our eyes to how much careful selection and informed approach can really change your impression of a processing method. We’re grateful the Las Lajas mill hosted us and introduced us to their technique. When enjoying this coffee, be sure to credit the producers who made it shine with their hard work and generations of knowledge.