Costa Rica Cañuela

Cranberry, balsamic jam, and cacao. Sounds like a line in a Christina Rossetti poem, but they’re the tasting notes Roastmaster Dave gleaned from this month’s Roaster’s Choice selection: Costa Rican Cañuela Café de Altura Raised Bed Natural.

Grown by 70 producers in the Alajuela municipality of Costa Rica, supported by Café de Altura de San Ramón, this raised bed natural is a labor of love—for the community and the planet. Since entering the two-centuries-thick Costa Rican coffee history books in 2004, San Ramón has served as one of the region’s conduits for positive socioeconomic and environmental change.

Through state-of-the-art processing and their prime position in the specialty coffee market, San Ramón can pull in better prices for their member producers. Pair this with their commitment to “trying to reduce, prevent, and mitigate the negative environmental […] impacts generated by our activities.” San Ramón prides itself on its use of organic fertilizer, recycled water, and eco-conscious harvesting practices.