COSTA RICA - SANTA MARIA DE DOTA - EL VAPOR - NATURAL PROCESS
Producer: Members of Cooperativa de de Caficultores de Dota R.L. (CoopeDota)
Region: Dota, San Jose, Costa Rica
Elevation: 1,550 - 1,950 meters above sea level
Process: Natural, dried in the sun and in mechanical driers
Varietal: Catuaí, Caturra
Coffee Story*
El Vapor, “The Steam,” is a special selection of coffee from the heart of Costa Rica’s coffee lands, in the town of Santa Maria de Dota.
Santa Maria is home to one of Costa Rica’s finest cooperatives, Coopedota. It is the world’s first certified carbon-neutral coffee exporter, but it’s much more than just a supplier with a great certification. The cooperative integrates social services and environmental protections while producing some of the highest quality coffee available in Costa Rica.
CoopeDota’s farms stretch deep into central Costa Rica and while they produce a significant volume, they also are deeply invested in highlighting exceptional microlots. Coopedota provides members with educational opportunities in addition to access to wet and dry milling services, yet the outreach extends far beyond processing: coffee by-products are used to fuel the mechanical drying guardiolas and water use during processing is reduced by using eco-pulpers. The cooperative manages trash pickup in the city of Santa Maria de Dota and has been able to repurpose waste into renewable forms of energy. They also roast their own coffee and operate three cafes and a cupper/barista training center.
*written by Chris Kornman - Royal Coffee
Brew Guide
Hario V60 Pour Over
This pourover recipe highlights the candied fruit notes, big body and deep sweetness we find in this coffee.
Recipe
Coffee: 25 grams
Grind size: 3 on the Fellow Ode (medium-fine)
Water: 360 grams at 200˚F
Coffee to Water Ratio: 14.4:1
Brew Time: 2:30
Method
1. Rinse filter
2. Add ground coffee
3. Start timer and saturate grounds with 50g water. Stir.
4. Let bloom 30 seconds.
5. Over the next 1.5 minutes, slowly but constantly add water unitl you reach 330 grams. Pour in concentric circles from the middle of the brew bed to the edges making sure to evenly and fully saturate all of the grounds.
6. After all water is poured, give the brewer a little swirl. All water should draw down by 2.5 minutes.
7. After all water draws down, remove the filter from the brewer and give the brewer. Add 30 grams fresh, hot water to the carafe. Give the carafe a good swirl to mix the coffee. Serve and enjoy!
Brew Guide
Espresso - we love the fruitiness and syrupy body a nice natural process coffee will give us when extracted as espresso.
Recipe
Brew ratio: 1:2.21
Coffee in: 19 grams (this can be modified depending on your portafilter size)
Coffee out: 42 grams (if using a different coffee dose than 18g then adjust your coffee out to match the brew ratio above)
Grind size: Fine
Extraction Time: 40 seconds
Method
1. Grind, dose, groom, tamp.
2. Purge group.
3. Pull shot. Shot should start slow (flowing like warm honey) and dark (like burnt caramel) at beginning of extraction and speed up and become lighter in color (like amber) as the extraction progresses.
4. If shot pulls too quickly adjust the grind finer. If shot pulls too slowly adjust the grind coarser.
Because brewing can taste differently from machine to machine, if the method above does not give desired results then follow some general espresso rules to modify the extraction.
General espresso rules:
If your shot tastes too intense, pull more coffee out. (If using 18 grams in, try increasing your yield out to 36 grams out).
If your shot is too weak, pull less coffee out. (If using 18 grams in, try decreasing your yield to 30 grams out).
You can also modify flavor by adjusting extraction times.
If your shot is sour, increase extraction time.
If your shot is bitter, decrease extraction time.