So for the next 12 working days (taking us up to the 22nd the last royal mail posting day) we have the Has Bean 12 days of Christmas for you, This is going backwards 12 days, not the traditional 12 days after Christmas (any excuse really to post).

This will involve a new coffee each day, to help you find inspiration for the perfect coffee for Christmas day. Some old favourites, some very new and exciting coffee that will become firm favourites I am sure.

so today instead of 5 gold rings how about 5 different coffees from one farm.

Costa Rica Finca El Potrero

On my visit this year I asked the guys if it would be possible to prepare 3 different honeys for me from this farm. A white honey , a red honey and a black honey. They told me they could do better than that and threw in a washed version and a black honeyed geisha too .

So, what is honeying I hear you say. When the coffee cherry is picked you either leave the cherry on (natural processing) or remove it fairly shortly after picking. When you remove the seed from the fruit (the coffee bean as we know it) there’s a sticky mucilage that’s usually removed using fermentation for washed processing (as this one is). This requires an amount of water and can pollute local rivers and streams (don’t worry they’re processing the water at the mill in this case). Add to this the problem of a general lack of water in Costa Rica, the pulped natural and honey process is a perfect solution. There is a kind of de-plulper that can remove this mucilage and can be set to to different degrees. It started off as three types but the range expanded over time; there is white honey (removes the most), gold honey, yellow honey, red honey and black honey .

This coffee comes from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica, famous for its coffee growing. The mill is called Puente and San Jose, Leon Cortes region of Santa Cruz. The mill produces around 800 bags per year, so is fairly small scale.

El Potrero is around 22 hectares with 20 of these in coffee production and is at an altitude of 1,600 m.a.s.l.

Farm: Finca Potrero
Region: Tarazu
Country: Costa Rica
Farm Size: 22 Hectares
Coffee growing area: 20 Hectares
Altitude: 1,600 m.a.s.l.
Variety: Villa Sarchí, Caturra, Typica, Bourbon, Geisha

Costa Rica Finca El Potrero Bourbon Fully Washed

Costa Rica Finca El Potrero Bourbon White Honey

Costa Rica Finca El Potrero Bourbon Red Honey

Costa Rica Finca El Potrero Bourbon Black Honey

Costa Rica Finca El Potrero Geisha Black Honey

We also have a special pack with 20% off the price if you buy them all here