Costa Rica Anaerobic Dry Process Higuito

Higuito is a farm in Los Santos, managed by Nelsyn Hernández, and processed at his micromill, "Fátima". The farm sits at 1650 meters above sea level, and is planted in Bourbon variety. They employ a variety of process methods at Fátima, including small experimental batches like this one. It's an anaerobic dry process, which involves fermenting the whole cherries after harvested in sealed tanks for around 2-3 days. During this time, the sugars in the fruit are broken down into flavor compounds that can come off fruit-forward, and winey. The cherries are then dried on raised beds for several weeks until it reaches a stable level of moisture (typically around 11%). The end result is a cup with fruit flavors that carry a fermented edge, and bittersweet backdrop that can be quite intense in the darker roasts. Dry process coffees produce a lot of chaff during roasting, which is something to keep an eye on between roast batches.