Costa Rica Brumas del Zurqui SL-28

About Costa Rica Brumas del Zurqui SL-28

Arrived July 2025, new crop in vacuum sealed bags, direct by air from Costa Rica. This is a Direct Trade cofffee. 

We have several coffees this year Brumas del Zurqui farms and processed at their mill. Producer Juan Ramon Alvarado puts much care and attention to detail into both farming and processing, and in recent years has been more experimental with respect to varieties that he is developing. The mill was established in 2004 on his El Beneficio farm, and processes coffees from several other farms. 

Producer Juan Ramon Alvarado

SL-28 is the 28th variation of a Bourbon derivative developed in the 1930s by Scott Labs, in Kenya. It, along with another similar variant SL-34, became the standard strains grown in Kenya.  The original intent of this development was to find disease resistant varieties that had superior flavor qualities and were suited to the growing conditions of the country. SL-28 began from the selected of a single drought-resistant tree in Tanzania (Tanganyika at the time). The variety is best known for its winey profile, with tannic, fruity notes, bright highlights and somewhat dry finish. It has obvious complexity. In recent years, producers throughout the coffee world, but in Central America in particular, have found that is grows very well in their growing environment. We know this coffee to be grown very successfully in El Salvador by Aida Batlle on her Kilimanjaro property. And it is obvious from the quality shown here, that Juan Ramon is producing expressive SL-28 on his Montanos farm in mountainous Tarrazu at 1800 meters.

Although this SL-28 is a washed coffee, Juan Ramon is considered a pioneer in honey coffee processing, which involves analyzing sugar levels in coffee and the amount of mucilage left on the coffee bean after the cherry has been removed.

• Producer  Juan Ramon Alvarado
• Farm: Montano
• Region: Tarrazu
• Micro region: San Cristóbal, Desamparados
• Province: San Jose
• Altitude: 1800 meters
• Coffee variety: SL-28
• Processing: Fully washed 

Cup Characteristics: Very luscious. Super clean and juicy with lots of stone fruit, peach and nectarine. There are also notes of sugar cane, caramel and pink grapefruit. Body is very silky. It shows blackcurrant and refined red wine tannins, typical of top SL-28 examples.

Roasting Notes:  SL-28 can be roasted successfully to various roast levels due to the bean density and high elevations where grown. Light roasting, midway between 1st and 2nd crack will produce a more acidic, delicate and flavorful cup; taken to 2nd crack the body becomes considerably more emphasized and the acidity plays a lesser role. This coffee can also be roasted beyond 2nd crack to dark roasted, caramelized levels because there is considerable inherent natural sugar, acidity and bean hardness.However, you will taste the roast and forfeit most of the sweet, winey character of the variety itself.