Antonio and his wife, Eby Aracely Samayoa, have worked hard to fine-tune their processing practices in order to have the best possible product.

Their coffees are processed with utmost care and attention
to detail at the mill, which is at 1200 meters - a bit lower than
the farm where the plants grow, which means stronger sun and
warmer days that are perfect for drying naturals. This year, with
the weather a little cooler than usual, the mill’s location was key to
ensuring good drying!

Only the ripest cherries are selected for this lot, and once the
cherries are picked they are placed in clean, sealed plastic bags in
the shade. Antonio knows that fermentation begins soon after the
cherries are harvested, and years of experience have taught him
that the best results come when this process is carefully controlled
and as uniform as possible. He allows this coffee to stay in bags
overnight for a short fermentation of no more than 14 hours, and
then early the next morning the coffee is prepared for drying.
Antonio soaks the cherries in water to remove any dust or floaters
(immature or malformed beans). Soaking the cherries also serves
to lower the microbial count and homogenize the temperature
of the cherries. They are then placed on raised beds to dry for
about 20 days. When on raised beds, the cherries need to be
turned frequently in order to ensure thorough and even drying.
The cherries are turned four times a day while they are drying at
regular intervals.

Milling the dried pods is the final step, which occurs at our dry mill
in Fraijanes under the watchful eye of our experienced mill team.
Then, the coffee is sorted, bagged, and prepared for export! “