Costa Rica Finca Santa Elena Washed

Origin: Costa Rica
Region: Tarrazú / Los Santos
Farm: Finca Santa Elena
Producer Type: Single Estate
Farm Size: Approx. 46 hectares
Crop: 2025/26
Species: Arabica
Varieties: Caturra & Catuaí
Altitude: Approx. 1,650–1,700 MASL
Process: Fully Washed
Drying: Patio / Sun Dried
Grade: SHB – Strictly Hard Bean
Screen: 15+
Tasting Notes: Caramel, Peach & Biscuit
Lot: P8003422-1

This coffee comes from Finca Santa Elena in the Los Santos region of Costa Rica, an area more commonly known within the coffee world as Tarrazú. Grown at around 1,650–1,700 metres above sea level, this high-altitude Arabica is produced from Caturra and Catuaí varieties and processed using the fully washed method to create a clean, balanced and elegant cup.

Santa Elena is a single-estate coffee with a long-standing connection to specialty production, combining high-altitude growing conditions, careful harvesting and meticulous post-harvest processing.

Coffee from Tarrazú

Tarrazú is one of Costa Rica’s best-known coffee-growing regions and forms part of the wider Los Santos area.

The region is characterised by steep mountains, fertile soils and clearly defined wet and dry seasons. These conditions are particularly well suited to Arabica production, especially at higher elevations where cooler temperatures slow the ripening of the coffee cherries.

The farms in this part of Costa Rica benefit from warm days and cooler nights, allowing sugars and acids to develop gradually inside the fruit before harvest.

At 1,650–1,700 MASL, Santa Elena sits well within the altitude range associated with high-quality Costa Rican coffee.

Finca Santa Elena

Finca Santa Elena is a quality-focused estate located on the slopes of the Caraigres mountain area.

The estate covers approximately 46 hectares and has a long history of coffee production.

Santa Elena has been associated with producer Luz Marina Trujillo, a third-generation coffee farmer whose family has been involved in specialty coffee production for many years.

The farm has also achieved recognition in the past through the Costa Rica Cup of Excellence, demonstrating the estate’s long-term commitment to quality.

Rather than chasing heavily experimental processing styles, Santa Elena is known for producing clean, well-structured coffees that clearly express the character of the region.

Caturra & Catuaí

This lot is produced from two classic Costa Rican Arabica varieties:

Caturra and Catuaí

Both are widely grown throughout Costa Rica and particularly well suited to the conditions found in Los Santos.

Caturra is known for its good cup quality, sweetness and balanced acidity, while Catuaí is valued for combining productivity, resilience and excellent flavour potential.

Together, they create a cup that is clean, sweet and structured, with enough fruit character to remain lively without becoming overly acidic.

High-Altitude Growing

The coffee is grown at approximately 1,650–1,700 metres above sea level.

At this elevation, cooler temperatures slow cherry maturation and allow the fruit to remain on the tree for longer.

This slower development can create denser green beans and encourage more complex sugars and acids to form inside the seed.

For roasters, denser high-altitude beans often respond well to carefully controlled heat application and can offer good flexibility across light, medium and espresso-focused roast profiles.

Fully Washed Processing

This coffee is processed using the fully washed method.

Once the cherries reach optimum ripeness, they are selectively harvested and brought to the estate’s mill for processing.

The outer fruit is removed, leaving the coffee seeds inside their parchment layer with a small amount of mucilage still attached.

The remaining fruit material is then broken down and washed away, producing a clean parchment coffee ready for drying.

Washed processing is particularly well suited to high-altitude coffees like Santa Elena because it helps emphasise clarity, acidity and origin character rather than heavier fermentation flavours.

Patio Drying

After washing, the parchment coffee is carefully dried on patios.

Patio drying allows the coffee to lose moisture gradually while being regularly turned and monitored.

This stage requires close attention, as uneven drying can affect both physical quality and flavour.

The dry conditions typically experienced during the Costa Rican harvest make Tarrazú particularly well suited to this style of processing.

Strictly Hard Bean – SHB

This coffee is classified as SHB – Strictly Hard Bean.

SHB is a Costa Rican grade associated with coffee grown at higher elevations, where slower maturation produces harder, denser beans.

Santa Elena is also prepared to screen 15+, helping provide greater consistency in bean size and roast behaviour.

For roasters, this combination of density and relatively uniform sizing makes it an attractive and predictable green coffee to work with.

Shade-Grown Coffee

The estate has historically grown coffee under shade, helping create a more balanced microclimate around the coffee trees.

Shade can reduce temperature extremes, slow cherry development and help maintain soil moisture.

In a region already defined by altitude and cooler conditions, this can further support slower and more even ripening.

In the Cup

Santa Elena offers a balanced and approachable flavour profile.

Expect notes of:

Caramel • Peach • Biscuit

The caramel brings a smooth, rounded sweetness, while peach adds soft stone-fruit character.

A gentle biscuit-like note adds warmth and depth, making the coffee feel familiar and comforting without losing its brightness.

The overall cup is clean, sweet and well balanced, making this an easy coffee to enjoy across a range of brew methods.

For Roasters

This coffee is extremely versatile.

A light-to-medium roast will emphasise the peach character, acidity and clarity of the washed process.

A medium roast will bring out more caramel sweetness and biscuit-like depth while maintaining enough fruit to keep the cup lively.

For espresso, a medium or slightly deeper roast can produce a smooth, sweet cup with good body and balanced acidity.

It can also work very well in blends where a roaster wants to add sweetness, structure and a clean Central American character.

A Classic Costa Rican Profile

Costa Rica Finca Santa Elena is a strong example of what high-altitude washed coffee from Tarrazú can offer.

It combines single-estate traceability, Caturra and Catuaí varieties, high-elevation growing, washed processing and SHB preparation in a cup that is clean, balanced and highly approachable.

Rather than relying on experimental fermentation or unusual processing, Santa Elena allows the natural character of the region and the coffee itself to take centre stage.

For anyone looking for a reliable, versatile and characterful Costa Rican green coffee, this is an excellent choice.

Costa Rica is nestled in the heart of Central America, and is as diverse as it is beautiful. This little country has it all – from mountains and volcanoes to rainforests that buzz with life and coastlines with great beaches and surf. With such an impressive landscape, combined with it’s stable government and relative safety compared to it’s Central American neighbours, Costa Rica is a well established tourist destination, especially for U.S. travellers, and around 1.5 million visitors are drawn to its shores, forests and mountains each year.

The nation’s stability and forward thinking governance means Costa Rica has a much higher standard of living than its neighbours, making it a much more expensive country to visit or do business in. The coffee industry is well regulated by the national body Icafe. Under Icafe’s watchful eye, farm workers are monitored and protected with minimum living standards and widely enforced minimum wages for all employees. This regulation has had two distinct impacts on the quality and type of coffee being produced in Costa Rica:

1. Quality has improved as the cost of production is estimated to be close to $2/lb – almost 25% higher than their Latin American counterparts. No longer able to compete on price with the high cost of land, living and employee wages, has forced producers to improve quality.

2. Costa Rica has become a boutique origin producing value-added coffees through experimental processing. No other origin we work in produces the diversity and quality of processing methods as Costa Rica. The quality of their naturals in particular is extraordinary, with a clarity and complexity that few of the world’s producers can match.

Whilst Costa Rica’s total production volume is in decline, as ‘volume growers’ struggle to compete with producers from neighbouring countries on price, the future of the country’s coffee production seems to be in specialty microlots lots that benefit from innovative and interesting processing methods. Leading the way in this regard are the regions of Tarrazu, the Central Valley, the West Valley and Tres Rios.