RIPE CHERRY | CHOCOLATE | PLUM

Red wine first, deep and dry, then dark fruit takes over: plum, blackberry, a streak of cocoa nibs. A pinch of nutmeg on the back end, and a body so silky it almost feels like it's coating the cup. Same thermic fermentation as our other Don Alexis lot, but pushed further into red wine and spice instead of tropical fruit.

• Origin: Costa Rica
• Region: Los Santos, Tablón del Guarco
• Producer: Don Alexis Coffee
• Variety: Red & Yellow Catuai
• Process: Natural, Thermic Fermentation
• Altitude: 1.750–2.000masl
• Cupping score: 89 SCA

MORE INFO
Catuai is a natural cross of two Arabica mutations, yellow Caturra and Mundo Novo. It's compact and low-growing, which means it can be planted at nearly double the density of Bourbon — and its shape makes the cherries easier to reach at harvest.

Same process as our other Don Alexis coffee: whole cherries rolled in black plastic and left to ferment inside a greenhouse or solar dryer, where microbes hold a steady 40–45°C. That heat breaks down the sugars in the cherry and partially caramelizes them before a roughly 30-day sun-dry. It's what pushes this lot toward red wine and dark fruit rather than the brighter, tropical profile you get from the same process on other varieties.

Grown by Don Alexis Coffee in Tablón del Guarco, Los Santos.