Photos from a Project About Small-Batch, Artisan Coffee from Costa Rica

Back in the day, I took on projects where I reviewed cool stuff, and this was one I enjoyed because it allowed me to discover a neat new small-batch coffee brand. Because the first thing I do every morning is prepare a cup of coffee. The info and photos

This one is called Alumbre and it’s the only coffee company of its same size that is truly vertically integrated, meaning it owns the farms, mills, and roastery.

Alumbre Coffee is named after the Alumbre River in Costa Rica, which flows through one of the world’s most exclusive coffee-producing regions. Alumbre Coffee has a long history, as its first coffee plants were planted in 1968 near the river it’s named after.

This image of the Alumbre River has gone totally bananas on Pinterest, repinned by thousands of people. It was provided to me by Alumbre Coffee. But I hope the people who click through because of it learn a little about the coffee company named after it.

It’s a company that takes care of its land and people. The result is that the coffee is subject to the strict quality standards. Here’s how.

Craft Roasting

Did you know that each coffee bean has a perfect degree of roast that is determined by how and where it’s grown, the varietal, size and shape of the bean, processing, and storage? Alumbre Coffee’s roastmasters take this all into account when determining how much heat to apply or even how much air to let flow through their small batch roaster.

All are designed with the intent of producing high-quality coffees, while still incorporating the artisan’s touch needed to produce premium specialty coffee.

About the Coffee

This special coffee is only available online, with five unique roasts for every palate.

La Minita Tarrazu® is the most prized coffee, hailing from the legendary flagship estate in the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica. The unique combination of the optimum climate, elevation, and soil contributes to its unparalleled quality. This single-origin medium roast presents sweet flavors of orange and caramelized sugar.

Alma Del Café De Jardin® is a single-origin medium roast from Colombia. The rich volcanic soil and unique microclimates in the Antioquia region provide excellent growing conditions that result in a rich and sweet coffee with flavors of chocolate, caramel, and hints of tropical fruit.

Yirgacheffe is a single-origin medium roast from the Sidamo region of Ethiopia. The most discriminating coffee buyers in the world seek out this coffee with fruity notes, a floral aroma, and playful hints of lemon and berries.

Mutu Batak™ is a single-origin dark roast from the Lintong region of Sumatra. This coffee is completely wet-hulled, sun-dried, and triple-picked, creating layers of citrus and pipe tobacco notes with floral and sandalwood aromas.

French Roast is a premium full-bodied blend of our finest Latin American beans, roasted to perfection to create this bold and intense dark roast with distinctly smoky overtones.

Sustainably Cultivated with Workers in Mind

Alumbre’s commitment to the environment has paved the path for an industry-wide standard of sustainable coffee production. I particularly like that Alumbre Coffee invests in its people through special projects and initiatives. To give you an idea:

• Alumbre operates no-cost dental and medical preventative care clinics for its employees in Costa Rica and pays for private specialists for unique healthcare problems.
• Twenty years ago, Alumbre Coffee set aside more than 200 acres of forest reserve of old-growth woodlands as a nature refuge.
• Alumbre operates specially designed biomass furnaces of Beneficio Reo Tarrazu and Beneficio Reo Negro to dry the beans, which eliminates the need to cut wood for fuel.
• The technical assistance provided to Alumbre’s partners directly led to the introduction of greenhouse-type drying patios in Lintong, Sumatra.
• Alumbre has investments of over $100,000 in renovating schools in Colombia.
• Its mill in Jardin, Colombia, is certified to process Rainforest Alliance coffee, and the company is aggressively increasing its sources for these certified coffees.

I had fun taking flat-lay photos of the coffee and its pretty packaging.