Costa Rica La Florcita
The Farm
The story of La Florcita Estate, known to the family as Llano Grande, began in 1995, when Don Miguel Sánchez, a coffee picker turned roaster from Juan Viñas, Cartago, decided with his wife Lidia Gamboa to acquire a recreational farm in the peaceful countryside of Llano Grande, Cartago.
Initially, the land was intended for family vacations, but over time the family decided to plant Costa Rica 95 and Obatá coffee trees for ornamental purposes. What happened next was unexpected: in an area traditionally known for the cultivation of flowers, onions, and beets, the coffee trees began to produce fruit. This evento surprised the family and at the same time highlighted the climate changes that were already beginning to transform local agriculture.
In 2012, Dani Sánchez, Miguel and Lidia’s youngest son, gave his parents 150 Bourbon Rojo, Villasarchí, and Gesha coffee plants from the Western Valley. These new varieties were added to the existing ones, consolidating the family’s bond with coffee and renewing their agricultural project. Since childhood, Don Miguel had worked in the harvest, and over the years he specialized as a roaster, a profession that the family continued with dedication until 2023.
The creation of La Florcita Estate is more than a family project: it represents a tribute to Don Miguel Sánchez’s career and his legacy in coffee growing. The farm stands as a symbol of respect for his origins and as a way to preserve his work and pass on his knowledge to new generations. Each cultivated plant reflects decades of work and dedication, uniting family tradition with an inclusive vision in the world of specialty coffee, for all those who value quality, diversity, and the stories behind each bean.
Process Method
The cherry selection is carried out carefully, choosing only those at their peak ripeness. To preserve the fruit’s freshness and prevent unwanted fermentation, pulping is carried out using a manual pulping machine within a maximum of six hours after harvesting.
Drying is done traditionally, in the sun on raised African beds, which allows for proper air circulation around the beans and uniform drying.
During this stage, the beans are stirred regularly until they reach a humidity level of 10.5%, considered ideal to ensure the stability and quality of the coffee during storage.
Origin
Coffee was planted in Costa Rica in the late 1700s, and it was the first Central American country to have a fully established coffee industry; by the 1820s, coffee was a major agricultural export with great economic significance to the population.
In 1933, the national coffee association, ICAFE (Instituto del Café de Costa Rica), was established as an NGO designed to assist with the agricultural and commercial development of the Costa Rican coffee market. It is funded by a 1.5% export tax on all Costa Rican coffee, which contributes to the organization’s $7 million budget, used for scientific research into Arabica genetics and biology, plant pathology, soil and water analysis, and oversight of the national coffee industry. Among other things, ICAFE exists to guarantee that contract terms for Costa Rican coffee ensure the farmer receives 80% of the FOB price (“free on board”, the point at which the ownership and price risks are transferred from the farmer/seller to the buyer).
Costa Rica contributes less than 1% of the world’s coffee production, yet it has a strong reputation for producing relatively good, if often mild quality. One way that Costa Rica has hoped to differentiate itself among coffee-growing nations is through the diversity of profiles in its growing regions, despite the country’s relatively small geographical size.
Protected by mountain ranges on the Pacific slope, the Tarrazú region is a sanctuary for mystical and forest birds and producer of one of the best coffees that is cultivated in small valleys and hillsides. Coffee growing is the fundamental activity for the socio-economic development of the region.
Tarrazú represents almost 35% of the total coffee production in Costa Rica. The altitudes of 1.200 – 1.900m produce some of the most complex coffee profiles in Costa Rica. This region has been the cradle of some of the most impressive advances of coffee processing in the country, whose result is very clear coffee. In Tarrazú around 22.000 hectares are cultivated in small farms with an average size of 2.5 hectares.
Coffee has been grown in Costa Rica since 1779. Currently the regions that produce the best qualities are Tarrazú, West Valley and the Central Valley. In the last decade coffee production has been threatened due to a real estate boom, turning coffee farms into developable land. San José, the capital, is right in the heart of the Central Valley, where private houses are located next to the coffee farms. The value of these lands has now skyrocketed.
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