Las Lajas Perla Negra - 2026 Harvest

Since our first visit to the Las Lajas cooperative in 2015, our ties and exchanges with local producers have steadily strengthened. This privileged relationship allows us, year after year, to discover and roast increasingly interesting specialty coffees of remarkable quality.

At an altitude of over 1,300 meters, the Chacón Solano family has been cultivating coffee for over 80 years and three generations. Now managed by Oscar and Francisca Chacón, the farm began its transition to organic farming some thirty years ago. In 2000, it became one of the few farms in Costa Rica to obtain official organic certification.

This lot comes directly from their family farm and was harvested this year. This allows us to continue a relationship that has lasted for over ten years, and to introduce you to the full expertise of Las Lajas, one harvest at a time.

The Perla Negra, which translates to Black Pearl, is one of Las Lajas' iconic microlots. Quickly, imagine their Black Honey, but without depulping the coffee cherry before drying.

Grown at an altitude of 1,450 meters, this Caturra comes from a natural process developed by Oscar and Francisca Chacón following the 2008 earthquake. Deprived of water and electricity, they had to rethink their method of processing coffee. This constraint would give rise to one of their most recognized methods. Only the ripest and most sugar-rich cherries are selected, then dried whole on raised beds and turned regularly to ensure uniform fermentation. A second drying phase under dark nets then promotes the development of sugars.

The process, rigorously controlled for 22 to 27 days, yields an exceptionally fruity, clean, and sweet natural coffee, renowned for its beautiful clarity, wine-like sweetness, and vibrant fruit notes.

Country: Costa Rica

Region: Sabanilla de Alajuela, Central Valley

Farms: Las Lajas Micro Mill

Altitude: 1,300 - 1,500 MASL

Variety: Catuai, Caturra, Geisha, Java, Pache, Parainema, SL28, Typica

Process: Natural

Roast: Light

Filter, Chemex, V60, Bodum