COSTA RICAN FINCA LA AMISTAD - LIGHT #2618

Tastes Like: Green Apple, Dark Chocolate, Citrus, Honey

Why I’m obsessed: Every so often, I come across a roaster that feels like a hidden gem – someone quietly doing extraordinary things. That’s exactly how I felt when I first tasted the coffees from Amrita Pure, and I’m so thrilled to share them with you. The name Amrita comes from Sanskrit, meaning “immortality”; in mythology, it refers to the nectar of the gods. Pretty fitting for great coffee, am I right? Amrita Pure is all about reverence: for the land, for the animals, and for the joy of a really great cup. Anne, the founder and roaster behind Amrita, is a 30-year veteran of the specialty coffee world and one of the most passionate people I’ve met in this industry. She roasts fresh to order in Orlando, Florida, donates a portion of every sale to environmental protection. Her bags? Works of art, each label hand-drawn to reflect the character of the coffee inside.

If I had to pick one of her coffees to recommend, it would be her Costa Rica La Amistad. First of all, I adore Costa Rican coffees, which always taste like saltwater taffy to me.But what makes this one really special is the story behind it. The coffee is grown by Roberto Montero, whose farm sits at the edge of the Amistad Rainforest. His grandfather donated most of their land — 15,000 out of 24,700 acres — to help create Costa Rica’s largest national park. Today, just 3% of that land is used for coffee cultivation (using zero chemical pesticides of course), with the rest protected as forest and wildlife habitat. Roberto also provides housing, healthcare, and school supplies for his workers and their families. And somehow, he also produces this incredible coffee. This one is everything I love about this industry: community, sustainability, AND flavor, all in one cup. Kudos to Anne at Amrita Pure for sourcing and roasting her exceptional lots. I hope you love it as much as I do!

Bottom Line:You’ll love this coffee if you love saltwater taffy, appletinis, or coffees produced through love and commitment to protecting the natural world.

When one thinks of specialty coffee one of the origins that comes to mind is Costa Rica. Coffee was first introduced to Costa Rica in 1779 from Cuba. By the 1820’s Costa Rica began exporting coffee and by 1830 it was the number one agricultural product for Costa Rica. With a focus on quality Costa Rica banned the lower grade robusta coffees from the Country. In recent years Costa Rica has been an innovator in the processing of the post-harvest beans.

The Finca La Amistad is tended by Roberto Montero. His grandfather first purchased the land in the 1900’s near the border with Panama in the Amistad Rainforest. His grandfather purchased 24,700 acres of land of which he donated 15,000 acres to the government for the International La Amistad Park. The park is the largest park in Costa Rica and home to two-thirds of the plant and animal species found in Costa Rica. With both Panama and Costa Rica sharing this vast rainforest it is named “La Amistad” meaning the friendship. Of the 9,887 acres left from the original purchase only 759 acres are dedicated to coffee farming with the majority left for forest and wildlife. This means that 97% of the original purchase is dedicated to forest preservation.

As part of his grandfather’s commitment to the preservation of the forest all the coffee is grown without chemical pesticides and herbicides. Growing without chemicals is beneficial for the environment, the workers, and the consumers.

Roberto loves his workers and his neighbors. He helps his neighbors with the processing of the cherries post-harvest and proud to provide more than 100 full-time jobs to his neighbors from Las Mellizas. During harvest for the seasonal indigenous people coming from Panama Roberto ensures their needs are met by providing housing and free access to medical care. Each year Roberto holds an annual celebration to recognize the hard work of his employees and he distributes school supplies to the children of his workers.

Aside from all the sustainable practices on the farm, Roberto produces a coffee of exceptional quality. It is delightful coffee that is sweet, bright, has a rounded body, and good balance. It is packed with flavor notes of green apple, dark chocolate, citrus and honey.