Coffee producers in Costa Rica placed themselves on the specialty coffee map by experimenting with the natural pulping method after a 2008 earthquake caused severe damage and water-restrictions. This prevented producers from using the traditional washed method but bred innovation. The results of those experiments using varying degrees of exposure to the cherries’ own leftover mucilage is what we now call the Honey process.

In 2017, third-generation Costa Rican coffee producer Jiménez, and the Padilla family founded La Isla Coffee in Naranjo, an area named for its historic abundance of orange trees. Grown and processed by the La Isla team, this coffee is of the Catiguá MG2 variety, originally bred in Brazil for its compact size and broad adaptability by the Agricultural Research Company of Minas Gerais (EPAMIG).

This is Cedar's second Honey-process coffee from Jiménez and his team. Leigh and Winston previously offered the excellent Villa Sarchi cultivar from La Isla. The Woodstock duo are no strangers to highlighting the unique flavour profiles of experimentally-pulped coffees to produce a finely-tuned balance between sweetness, body and acidity.

Phaedon's tasting notes

For me, this single origin offers the quintessential characteristics I expect of Costa Rican specialty coffees. It's deliciously balanced, sweet, and quite full-bodied, though not in the least bit heavy. I picked up nutty and dried fruit notes in all my brew method experimentation, and I particularly enjoyed this coffee in a siphon, which emphasised the silky texture, in a V60, which emphasised the sweetness, and in a moka pot, where it offered a classic espresso-like experience.

Cedar’s notes

“On filter, the cup is layered with stone fruit notes leaning into dried fruit, think mebos delivering a rich, concentrated sweetness. As espresso, it presents a syrupy profile with dominant notes of dates, carrying through that same deep dried fruit character. On milk, the profile softens, revealing a smooth, lingering sweetness reminiscent of the milk left after a bowl of cereal.”

• Cup profile: Mebos, Dates, Cereal Milk

Coffee details from Cedar

“At Cedar, we’re always looking for coffees that tell a clear story of place, variety and processing and this lot from Costa Rica’s La Isla farm does exactly that. Costa Rica is renowned for its clean, expressive Villa Sarchi coffees, and its mastery of honey processing, and La Isla is a young but fast-rising farm that’s already earning serious recognition. Founded by the Jiménez & Padilla family, the farm sits in Naranjo at 1,560 masl, and their commitment to precise, quality-focused production has already placed them 6th in the 2024 Cup of Excellence Costa Rica.

This time we are exploring the Catigua MG2 varietal, this is a cross between Catuai and Timor Hybrid, bred for cup quality and rust resistance. Still relatively new to Costa Rica, it’s an exciting variety that brings both resilience and vibrant, fruit-forward character to the cup.

For this lot, cherries were handpicked at peak ripeness, de-pulped, and dried slowly with their sticky mucilage intact, a meticulous honey process that lifts sweetness, enhances texture, and keeps the profile incredibly clean.”

• Country: Costa Rica
• Farm: La Isla
• Producer: Jiménez & Padilla family
• Region: Naranjo, Lourdes
• Process: Honey
• Altitude: 1560 masl
• Variety: Catigua MG2