Tasting Notes: Caramel, Tangerine, Milk Chocolate This is the first washed lot coffee we have purchased from Minor. His meticulous attention to detail and cleanliness in the mill make him a prime candidate to produce high-quality washed coffees. Much of Costa Rica went to processing honey and naturals for the obvious ease, water-savings, and perceived cup scores. But we firmly believe that the higher/moderate elevations can still produce beautiful washed, clean specialty coffees. So much so, that we have already committed to future washed lots of his, and will be working together for something special next year! La Esmeralda is one of Minor’s most prized lots and his first choice to process fruit from the plantations his family has to choose from. This particular plantation is located just to the north of the family’s residence in the town of San Lorenzo de Tarrazu. This has been a long known high quality producing area for coffee growing in the area due to its drier climate as it is more exposed to the sun. Since the family has been growing large amounts of coffee for so long they really know how to manage their plantations. The most important thing is to work in harmony with the surroundings and focus on quality. Producer History: Minor Jimenez comes from a serious coffee producing background. His family has been growing coffee as a cash crop for generations, he is the 4th generation of farmers. While the family has a history of managing their plantations with the utmost care and environmental awareness; their focus has always been in high volumes. Over the years they were able to acquire quite an impressive land mass in order to make coffee production profitable. In the past the family would deliver all of their cherries to local cooperatives and large neighboring wet mills. Prices for coffee cherries are quite low and have gone lower and lower over time; which means that farmers need to create large quantities or somehow add value to their finished product. As a young man passionate about coffee and starting a family, Minor needed to make his own way in the coffee industry. He and his wife Nancy decided to pursue their dreams and add value to their coffee by processing, roasting, and selling it themselves. In 2014 Cafe La Cumbre was born with the mission to represent their family, community, environment, quality products, consistency, and transparency. The farm which Minor and Nancy utilize for their “Cafe La Cumbre” project is named La Esmeralda which is still owned by Minor’s father, Omar Jimen...