We are very excited to being working with the Don Mayo Micromill for a second year in a row. After the wonderful lot of last year, we couldn't wait to work together on another. This lot is a slightly different profile than the anaerobic natural of last, but showcases the wonderful range of processing coming out of the micromill under the watchful eye of Pablo Bonilla.
Operated by Pablo Bonilla, Don Mayo Micromill is a family business which was founded in 2006 in the Tarrazú region of Costa Rica. Pablo’s family has been producing coffee for three generations in the Los Santos Zone, specifically in the cantons of León Cortes and Tarrazú, and today they have farms ranging from 1650–2000 meters above sea level alongside their family mill. At the farms, Catuai is the predominantly cultivated variety, though some lots are planted with less common varieties such as Java, Gesha, and others.
Don Mayo Micromill is outfitted with state-of-the-art machinery and is committed to producing high quality lots of coffee. This commitment is demonstrated through the mill’s success in Costa Rica’s Cup of Excellence competition, having auctioned more than 35 lots through the competition and placing first in both 2009 and 2020.
Don Mayo has a few plots of land and this lots cherry comes from two plots, Bella Vista & Beneficio. Cherry is collected at the farms in trucks and transported to the micromill for processing.
Cherries were picked between 9-12th of February, cherries being pulped and placed on the patios from the 10 to 12th February for a 10 day period with regular turning. It is worth noting that the patios are shaded, and so the coffee is not in direct sunlight. The coffee is then stored in big bags at the warehouse at the mill. The total lot in parchment was 2400kg, considering the milling and sorting the final lot size was 1200kg. Milling and hulling is all done on site at the micromill.
TARRAZÚ
The Tarrazú region lies in the high mountains of the southern Pacific region south of Costa Rica’s capital city of San Jose and is one of the most densely planted high altitude regions in Central America, with many farms at or above 2000 meters above sea level. It is locally known as “Zona de Los Santos” for the number of towns with “San” or “Santa” in their names.
Tarrazú’s climate is characterised by two well-defined seasons; a rainy season lasting seven months (May through November) and a dry season (December through April). This encourages uniform coffee blossoming. On average, precipitation is between 2,400mm (94.5 inches) per year, with an average annual temperature of 19°C (66.2°F).
The fertile, volcanic soils and rolling mountainsides of Tarrazu are well-suited for agriculture, and smallholders grow bananas, avocado, and citrus as well as coffee on properties passed between generations. The spirit of community and family is strong in Tarrazu, with producers caring for their land with pride. Many farms in Tarrazú include primary forest and some degree of shade trees interspersed with coffee and producers take care to protect the natural water sources that spring up from the mountainsides.
(In partnership with Ally Coffee)
