Las Lajas - Yellow Diamond - Costa Rica

Product info

This is an Omni-roasted coffee which means it is roasted to highlight the flavour of the coffee and will work well in all brew methods.

Farm info

Las Lajas, owned by Oscar Chacón Solano, is a coffee farm located in Sabanilla de Alajuela, Costa Rica. The farm underwent a major transformation in the late 1980s when the Chacón family shifted their focus toward environmental conservation, stable employment, and the preservation of coffee culture. In the early 2000s, Oscar and his wife Francisca Cubillo pioneered the use of natural processing methods in their post-harvest practices, aiming to achieve exceptional quality and clear product differentiation. Today, the farm spans around 100 hectares, situated at elevations between 1,500 and 1,700 meters above sea level.

While Caturra and Catuaí remain the dominant varieties, cultivation has diversified in recent years. The farm’s volcanic soil is enriched with organic fertilizers, and agroecological practices, including the planting of shade trees, are integrated at every stage of cultivation and production. Harvesting, carried out by hand from December to February, involves the meticulous selection of fully ripe cherries destined for specialty microlots. Las Lajas follows a precise processing protocol to ensure optimal drying before each lot is carefully packed and labeled.

After processing, the coffee is rested for around 60 days or more before export. Despite challenges such as labor shortages and rising production costs, the Chacón family has observed a steady improvement in cup quality in recent years—a result they attribute to the planting of leguminous shade trees. Encouraged by this, they plan to continue investing in shade cultivation. What began as a small, family-run effort by Oscar and Francisca has grown into an operation employing 20 workers in the mill and up to 100 pickers during harvest season.

The Fermentation Process

To achieve the Yellow Diamond process, the coffee is initially pulped and left with 100% of the mucilage.

It is transferred to an anaerobic fermentation tank immediately after the depulping, where it will rest for about 84 hours.

After the fermentation period, the coffee is moved to raised beds to complete the drying for 15 to 20 days.