COLUMBUS, Ohio – Ohio coffee roaster Crimson Cup Coffee & Tea has added two Costa Rican coffees from the La Minita farm to its Friend2Farmer line of sustainably sourced beans.
Sales of La Minita Hacienda Rio Negro and La Minita El Conquistador will support worker education, environmental conservation and higher quality processing standards.
“During last year’s sourcing trips, we sought out great coffees where our purchases would positively impact the growing community and increase sustainability,” said Greg Ubert, founder and president of the Ohio coffee roaster and coffee franchise alternative.
“After cupping numerous prospects, we settled on these two outstanding entries from La Minita, which is one of the world’s most socially conscious and environmentally sound coffee operations.”
Established in 1955 in Coto Brus, Hacienda Rio Negro was the first Costa Rican coffee certified by the Rain Forest Alliance. Within a few miles of the Panama border, Cattura, Catuai, Catimor and Hibrido coffee varietals grow at elevations of 3,600 to 4,125 feet.
Crimson Cup carefully handcrafts small batches of this fully washed coffee to a light roast. The resulting fairly mild coffee displays clean, citrusy brightness with caramel, apricot, butter and tea rose notes.
The cup finishes very smooth, with a lingering buttery flavor.
“El Conquistador is a great representative of coffee grown in the Dota sub-region of Tarrazu, Costa Rica,” Ubert said. Cattura and Catuai varietals grow in red volcanic soil at elevations of 3,900 to 6,200 feet on mountainsides where the plants see several hours of morning sun.
Afternoons bring light cloud cover, creating a “shade-grown” life cycle. A mild climate averaging 65 degrees allows the coffee to grow slowly.
Due to the high elevation, the fully washed coffee ferments slowly. All of these factors combine to produce a fruity, floral, and complex cup, with crisp acidity and lively winey flavor not typical in a Tarrazu coffee.
Ubert developed Crimson Cup’s Friend2Farmer direct trade program to ensure that farmers receive a fair share of the proceeds from coffee sales.
“Friend2Farmer is about empowering coffee farmers to produce an awesome crop to sustain their communities,” he said.
“The farmers and their workers plant, cultivate, harvest and process the coffee. Crimson Cup then hand-roasts their coffee in small batches, which protects the integrity of the bean and the farmers’ hard work.
Finally, we introduce their coffee to consumers who can appreciate the dedication that these farmers have put forth.”
Friend2Farmer coffees can be purchased online from the Crimson Cup website. They also are available at the company’s own Crimson Cup Coffee House in the Columbus suburb of Clintonville.
