Coffee: Hacienda Alsacia - Our First Taste of the First Crop

Last 2013, Starbucks has achieved another milestone in coffee world. This world know coffee chain has purchased itself a farm from San Jose, Costa Rica.

A more than 370 city blocks wide farm called HACIENDA ALSACIA.

After four years of cultivating coffee trees in this farm, our more than 30 partners who takes care of the farm and coffee trees has harvested a cherries that would be enough to supply all stores around the world for the whole world to experience the handful love and care of our partners to coffee.

In being part of the company, it is my privilege to have a taste of the first crop of the first farm owned by my loving company. Its first crop, the coffee itself, which was named after the farm, HACIENDA ALSACIA (Alsacia Estate).

Together with my team, we discover what this coffee could offer to us.

Hacienda Alsacia is located in the slope of still-active Poas, Volcano.

Source

And in coffee world, it is best to cultivate coffee in this kind of place as we can ensure that the soil is alive and healthy, minerals are intact and still growing. Therefore, any crops planted in this slope could as healthy as the volcano itself.
And with topographic location of the farm, with a balance climate of hot and cold weather, coffee beans inside a cherry will surely develop and could reach its maturity to its potential.

As original plan, 10 hectares of the farm is allocated to study and research of creating a variety of arabican coffee tree that is resistant to diseases like coffee-rust that devastated all the small holder farm backs in 2011. The plane is not to produce coffee for the stores but to help small holder farms to grow their coffee for Starbucks. Where in, more than 30 partners working in this farm is a holder of their small farm at their backyard that was affected by the disease in 2011 and struggling to feed their family.

Without further ado, May I present to you our experience with our very first owned crop.

This coffee is from Costa Rica in Latin American region, therefore we are expecting it to have a nutty, cocoa, fruity flavor.
Having no idea what this coffee has to offer, I just relied on its growing region to prepare food pairings that will highlight its flavor.

I prepared the most possible flavor we can expect from Latin American Coffee. And since this coffee has undergone Medium Roast, we are expecting a medium to high acidity and a medium body.

AROMA

Together with my team we capture its aroma, we individually take down notes of our findings. One of the findings is that it has a nutty aroma, which is expected due to its grown region. While 2 out of 10 team members (that includes me) stated that it has fruity, closed to wine aroma. Which I did not expect, though I have a knowledge that Costa Rican coffee usually carries a hint of fruit flavor on its coffees because of the healthy soils that they have, where-in most crops are fruits. And since coffee is agreat absorber, it can absorb the flavor around it while growing. (That is the reason, we should not spray perfume when in any coffee shop, unless, you want to have Chanel flavored coffee.)

ACIDITY

On our first slurp, we immediately felt the watery sensation lingering at side of our tongue. Then we followed by our second slurp. And we confirmed that it has high acidity. And the acidity also add up to its wine-y characteristic. (Normally found in African Coffees). Interesting indeed.

BODY

The weight of this coffee is not too heavy, I actually enjoyed it. The body hit at the middle of my tongue and slides to back washed away by this coffee’s acidity for about 2 seconds. There for the body is just medium.

FLAVOR

Now, we started to have a taste this coffee and look for its complimentary flavor. No books and no research but our taste buds alone.

We started it almond, dark chocolate and milk chocolate.

Almond- This coffee has a dry sensation indicating its nutty flavor, so almond pairs well.
Dark Chocolate- Due to bitterness of dark chocolate, it overpowers the flavor of our coffee.
Milk Chocolate- Since this is sweet, it made our coffee sweeter but diminished the coffee taste.

Then our next - Orange, Apple and Grapes.

Orange- Due to sweetness of orange, just like milk chocolate it’s washing away the flavor of our coffee, it is becoming pure orange alone.
Apple- Acidity of this coffee alone is too much for me, so I don’t prefer apple as it’s just add watery sensation in my tongue, though some of my team like it with apple as it perfectly pairs with its acidity and fruity flavor.
Grapes- Did I mentioned that this coffee has a closed to wine aroma? And wine comes from grapes. Grapes for me is best paired with this coffee, as it highlights the wine-y flavor of our coffee, balance its acidity and not deleting the essence of coffee’s own flavor and taste.

To summarize all our findings, this coffee’s offering a Nutty, Sweet, Fruity, Wine-like quality flavors to enjoy.
It’s like having fruit cake that is mixed with grapes and other berries. Surely, remind of the holidays that has passed.

Thank you Mr. Victor Trejos for a great job managing our very first owned farm. And delivering as a new coffee that can offer a high quality taste to all the people in the world.

Source
Victor Trejos - General Manager of Hacienda Alsacia

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All writings and information shared is my own knowledge and in my own opinion. Through research and through my acquired skills in being a Coffee Enthusiast for more than 10 years.

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