An exceptionally smooth coffee to drink all day long
In Hunter of Stories, Eduardo Galeano shares a short essay in which he reminds us how central the café has been in modern culture. The best ones, in this context, become the equivalent of Humility Conservation Districts. In cafés, Galeano writes, resistance comes together, poetry is written, artistic ideas are shared, solidarity is centered, and community is created. It’s a reminder—for anyone feeling alone in challenging times—that simply going to a coffee house, sipping a cup, and seeing who you see can open the door to connection. Maybe even, if you’re an introvert like I am, you’ll find yourself conversing, connecting, and seeing what comes of it. Really good coffee, after all, can spark the kind of “good trouble” Congressman John Lewis championed.
If the quality of the coffee is a leading indicator of the quality of the conversation, then you might consider coming by for some of this truly terrific Costa Rica Hacienda Miramonte coffee ASAP. A great tasting, super smooth, complex cup from Central America with a lovely, delicate finish, it is the result of one of the most rewarding of our long-term “relationship coffees.” We’ve been working with the Gurdian family in Costa Rica for nearly a decade now, and the coffee, quite simply, continues to get better and better with each passing year!
In 1917, when the unfolding revolution in Russia was dominating headlines all over the world, the matriarch of the Gurdian family, Lucila Duval de Morales, quietly but confidently started Hacienda Miramonte. You’ll find the farm in the north central part of the country—Naranjo Alajuela, West Valley, about an hour’s drive to the northwest of the country’s capital of San Jose. In doing so, she broke social norms simply by being a wise woman buying her own land and planting coffee bushes. Today, the farm is managed by her great-grandson Ricardo. He and his daughter Lucila have been here in Ann Arbor regularly to teach and taste. Steve Mangigian, managing partner at the Coffee Company, shares,
This is a project we embarked on many years ago. One of the larger benefits is the trust it creates between the roaster and the producer. We made the long-term commitment to buy from the Hacienda Miramonte over the long term. Which means we get to discover different ways of harvesting and processing each year. While most beans from Costa Rica are processed using a “washed” method that uses water to remove the coffee fruit from the bean inside, this lot is naturally processed. Long my personal preference, it means that the beans are dried slowly in the open air with the fresh fruit, as it was plucked from the plant, still attached. These coffees are known for having amazing sweetness and a rich, velvety body. It’s medium-bodied, with really fine cocoa and fruit notes.
The Costa Rica Hacienda Miramonte coffee has always been marvelous, but this current roast is particularly terrific. Try it as a syphon pot—the flavors come cleanly and clearly to the fore. I had a syphon last Sunday morning, and it was magical. I had it as an espresso at the Coffee Company the other day; it was light and lovely. A pour-over is super smooth and positively juicy. Aeropress is a little more delicate and has a lot of lovely tannins. However you have it brewed, I will guarantee, it’s gonna be good.
ZCoBber Alex Stanich, who has decades of culinary experience working all over the world, commented about the Costa Rica, “I could drink that coffee all day!”
