This coffee is one of those unforgettable experiences that you either love immediately or find completely overwhelming due to its intensity. In the cup, it offers a fascinating and slightly controversial profile full of wild tropical fruit, dominated by notes of ripe pineapple and fresh apple juice. The coffee’s characteristic “funk” is complemented by complex alcoholic notes reminiscent of limoncello and spiced mulled wine, giving it a distinctly syrupy and wine-like texture. Despite its boldness, however, this nanolot retains a surprising clarity and a silky finish, the result of precise fermentation timing. It is the ideal choice for adventurous specialty coffee lovers seeking something that pushes the boundaries of conventional flavor perception and offers a layered, almost candy-like experience with every sip.
The beans come from the historic Aquiares Estate, which stretches across the fertile slopes of the Turrialba volcano in the province of Cartago. Here, Diego Robelo cultivates the Centroamericano hybrid variety at an altitude between 1,100 and 1,300 meters in an area surrounded by clear springs and rivers. The name El Churro originated from creative harvesters who noticed that the coffee cherries wrapped in black plastic inside the solar dryer looked like large rolled-up cigarettes. This farm is not only a coffee producer but also the heart of the local community, which is committed to protecting nature and preserving the historical legacy of pre-Columbian civilizations.
The unique flavor is the result of a process called thermal fermentation, in which the cherries are left sealed without air access at temperatures around 45 degrees Celsius. Based on experience from previous years, the duration of this anaerobic phase was shortened from 48 to 36 hours, which gave the coffee much greater clarity and elegance without losing its typical tropical character. The heat during fermentation allows only certain microorganisms to survive, which create those specific alcoholic and juicy notes in the beans without the unpleasant aftertaste of overripe fruit.