Kendra's Corner - Costa Rica La Canoa

Hello fellow coffee lovers! This is Kendra, FreeForm Coffee's Lead Roaster, coming at you with one of our newest coffees from well-known producer Enrique Sanchez at Coope Libertad Finca La Canoa which is located in the beautiful central valley of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is one of my all-time favorite coffee origins. We have worked with a number of Costa Rican farmers and producers and they never seem to disappoint.

This coffee is loaded with flavor, but is an approachable bean that can be enjoyed by any palate. I prefer to brew it on the Kalita Wave pour over dripper because it tames the funkiness that may come from a natural processed coffee on a finer grind size (like espresso) but doesn't take away from the unique body this bean has to offer.

This particular lot has an amazing aroma both during and after brewing. On the nose I get notes of honeycomb, vanilla, and blueberry muffins with a slight florality reminiscent of honeysuckle. I dare you to take a whiff of this coffee and not feel as though you just walked into your favorite bakery.

In the cup this bean explodes with vibrant, yet distinguishable notes of tart berries like raspberry and strawberry. It also offers a citrusy acidity, lemonade-like sweetness, and punchy stone fruits like ripe nectarine. What I like about the body of this coffee is that it doesn’t linger on the palate too long, but just long enough to activate those glands in the back of your jaw due to its juiciness and has a distinctive tannic structure almost like a natural wine or grape skin.

If you have the opportunity to stop into our shop, definitely request this on pour over; I recommend pairing it with one of our blueberry muffins or butter croissants! And if you’re enjoying this from the comfort of your own home, then I challenge you to start with this brew method and then experiment with others to see what notes your palate picks up on. And, as always, give us your feedback about what you liked about this lot or maybe what you’d like to see from some others. Happy brewing!

-Kendra