6 - Don Elí - Costa Rica 2024 (Dry)

#6 Don Elí
Jacob Montero Cordero
Our History: Montero Family: For over three generations our family has been producing coffee in the mountains of Tarrazú, Costa Rica. Sitting at an altitude of 1,900 Tarrazú region is rich in volcanic soil and known to offer some of the best Costa Rican coffee.
Eli, Jacob´s grandfather, worked throughout his childhood in coffee, and so did Jacob´s father, Carlos Montero. Their passion for coffee coursed in their veins, but it was impossible to ignore the hardships in the coffee business. And while Carlos watched his father struggle, he set out to create opportunities for himself and ultimately, he took over the farm.
Today, our entire family are deeply involved at Don Eli Coffee farm. In the crop 2014 - 2015 was our first year as specialty coffee producers. So, in this way we can regulate our coffee business, focus on innovative processing methods and ensure the quality. We were leaving the mass production concept behind to uphold the “quality over quantity” mindset. Carlos is aware and is working to get certifications for our farms like NAMA Café, he knows how important it is to have a great soil without chemicals, so he is working on sustainable practices in he’s farms, and as an example he has a nano lot where he hasn’t used any chemicals for many years and want to keep this nano-lot named “Chamaco” as an experiment for the future. Don Eli Coffee is aiming on delivering the best of what Costa Rican soils have to offer.
Also, Jacob is the farm manager (28 years old). He oversees the wet-mill processing and the quality control of the lots. Jacob is key to the different coffee process. He is also had a degree in economics, which comes useful in helping the family business with the accounts.
Coffee processing: In our farms we have historically planted varieties such as catuai, caturra and typica. However, in recent years we have planted new varieties such as geisha, borbon, sl28 and mundo novo.
For the wet mill processing we work different processes as natural, honey and washed. Also, in recent years we have experimented and introduced anaerobic fermentation processes, taking the control of different variables as pH, temperature and Brix degrees.
The drying of our special batches is essential for us. We always try to dry our best lots very slowly and cover under shade. Usually the drying process takes between 18 to 40 days.
In 2021 we decided to participate in Cup of Excellence for the first time and won the #8 place.
This year again we participated in COE with one lot of geisha planted 9 years ago.
This lot comes from our farm DON ELI at 1900 masl. For the process Jacob decided to do it as a natural, drying the cherries very slowly in african beds, totally cover under shade during 40 days.
General Information:
LOCATION: San Marcos de Tarrazú, San José
Contact: +(506) 8647-7293
Email: jacob@donelicoffee.com
Webside: www.donelicoffee.com