This Friday and Saturday Open-Close MadCap will be serving only Costa Rica coffee to highlight their two latest arrivals: Santa Lucia of Helsar de Zarcero and Los Lobos of Rio Estate. Both of these options will be available as the coffee of the day and Single Origin Espresso.

About the coffees:
Santa Lucia, Costa Rica.
Farm: Helsar de Zarcero
Farmer: Ricardo Perez, Marvin Rodriguez and Felipe Rodriguez
Region: Llano Bonito de Naranjo, West Valley
Varietal: Caturra, Catuai and Villalobos
Processing: Wahed and sun dried
Altitude: 1,750 masl
Harvested November 2009-March 2010

This is the third consecutive crop we’ve purchased from Helsar de Zarcero (08,09,10) from MadCap and each year the coffee keeps getting better. Helsar is a multiple award winning Organic farm and mill including COE. Their harvest and processing methods are precise, and their coffee is divided into micro lots of both organic and conventional which are carefully selected for each roaster who agrees to buy this coffee while it is still on the plant.
Ricardo Pérez Barrantes, a partner in the Miramontes mill, has great understanding of the effects the pulping, fermentation, and drying process has on their coffee. His willingness to work closely with the roasters who buy his coffee coupled with his skill as a processor allows him to present them with fabulous coffees.

Los Lobos, Costa Rica
Farm: Rio Jorco Estate
Farmer: Luis and Jim Alfaro
Region: Vuelta de Jorco, Tarrazu
Varietal: Cattura
Processing: Wahed and sun dried on raised beds
Altitude: 1,650 masl
Harvested November 2009-March 2010
Rio jorco Estate is a third generation coffee producing family that has been producing quality coffee for 100 years. The “los Lobos” coffee comes from the highest part our farm, 1650 meters. The microclimate of this area with its fog and colder weather, help to produce the unique quality of this coffee. The actual plantation is located near a large bird corridor protected by the owners of Rio Jorco, ¾ of Rio Jorco estate are a protected Tropical forest.
Los Lobos coffee grows on the steep banks of the farm, protected by natural shade and tropical forest. All the coffee is hand picked at its peak of ripeness and then carefully processed and sun dried . The sun drying is done on drying beds that are turned several times an hour and overseen by Romon the beneficio manager. The coffee is then carefully peeled and then hand selected by the hands of workers that have many years of experience in selecting only the best coffee. This coffee has rated very well and was ranked in the top 20 coffees of Costa Rica in the Cup of Excellence Competition.