Costa Rica Las Lajas Red Honey

The San Cristobal farm is in the Central Valley region. They "honey processed" this lot of coffee by hand which means the "honey" (the fruit pulp) was left on the coffee bean in order to give it extra flavor and sweetness. It's a "red honey" which has more fruity notes than a Yellow or White honey. 

The variety of coffee is SL-28 which is generally found in Kenya and is thought to have originated out of Yemen. 

This coffee has a lot of body for a honey processed bean. The main flavor I'm getting from it is tart red apple, which gets my attention because that's not a flavor you come across too often in the coffee world. There's probably some caramel and grape in there as well.  Clean finish, very little acidity. The coffee overall is smooth and sweet.

By definition, a honey coffee contains more of the sugars of the coffee fruit, so it is a delicate bean that is susceptible to scorching. This particular one is tougher than I expected and not as finicky as some of the previous honey coffees we've stocked, but still, if you take it to a fast dark roast, you'll scorch it. Try to nudge the heat up gently, evenly, give it plenty of time to get through the 1st cracks, maybe wait 30 seconds more, let it out. City roast is a sweet spot for this bean, but you can go a little darker if its personal preference. If you have a way to control the exhaust fan on your roaster, try letting the smoke mingle with the beans more to give it another layer of flavor.

US Arrival: August 2025