Vara Blanca Red Honey

About This Coffee

From Selva Coffee: Under the leadership of father, Ernesto José Valverde Solís, this family business, Vara Blanca handles every step of production, from planting and harvesting to processing in their own micro-mill. Their processing techniques include washed, honey, and natural methods, with infrastructure improvements like raised drying beds and a solar dryer, and careful cherry selection—sometimes requiring up to five pickings during a harvest to ensure only perfectly ripe cherries. Coffees from Vara Blanca are noted for their vibrant and nuanced flavor profiles: sweetness, bright acidity, fruit notes, and often creamy or nutty undertones—attributes accentuated by altitude, varietal choice (such as Catuai, Caturra, Milenio), and meticulous post-harvest care. After the Marin Family ensures excellent picking in the fields, the fresh coffee fruit gets taken half way down the mountain to be pulped. They chose not to remove all of the mucilage in the mechanical washer and leave about half of it remaining on the parchment. From there, the mucilage covered parchment is take all the way down the mountain to their home on the valley floor. They have raised drying beds on the side of their house and they put the parchment out in medium layers. They will move the coffee around 4 times per day for the first 3 days. Finally, the parchment gets extended into thin layers and moved 8 times per day for another 12 days.