Coffee Story
The West Valley, located on the far western edge of Costa Rica's coffee-growing regions, produces nearly 25% of the country's total coffee and is home to many Cup of Excellence winners. This coffee region is considered one of the most complex due to its microclimates and the opportunity to harvest ripe cherries during summer. Combining morning sunshine, afternoon rain, volcanic soils, and high elevations without frost creates an ideal environment for coffee growing.
Ricardo Pérez has been a specialty coffee legend in Costa Rica since starting one of the world's best mills, Helsar de Zarcero, in 2004 during the nascent stages of the micro mill revolution. At Detour, we have worked with him and his family-owned micromill for over a decade. The mill processes coffee from its famous farm, Santa Lucia, and partners with nearby coffee producers who need the processing infrastructure. In 2013, Ricardo worked towards diversifying his coffee variety. He obtained seeds of many varieties, including Gesha, SL-28, Pacamara, Ethiopia Heirloom, and Villalobos and started a nursery. Since then, he has planted these varieties on a farm next to the original Santa Lucia, Luma. As of 2021, it began to produce. This yellow honey-processed Caturra variety stems from that project! It is grown on Ricardo's farm, Luma and processed at his family-owned micro mill, Helsar de Zarcero.
Once harvested, this coffee goes through a centrifugal washer that spins the mucilage off the bean, allowing control over the amount of fruit or "honey" left on the seed during the drying phase of processing. This specific lot is yellow honey, which accounts for approximately 50% of the honey left on the seed before drying.
