Costa Rica
Brunca
Jose Alvarado and Karla
Iker
Etiope
Washed
2025 - 2026
Apple, Cacao Nibs, Caramel, Cherry, Lemon, Mandarin Orange, Milk Chocolate, Orange, Red Grape
1750 meters
N/A
69 kg W/GrainPro
USA - New Jersey - CTI
José Alvarado Abarca is a coffee producer whose connection to agriculture began early in life. Raised in a rural environment with limited opportunities, he grew up cultivating tubers and legumes under challenging conditions. In search of a more stable future, he migrated to the United States, where he worked for 10 years before returning to Costa Rica with the goal of establishing his own coffee farm.
His first property, El Higuerón, was planted with Catuaí and designed to balance both productivity and cup quality. As his experience developed, he acquired a second farm, Finca Iker—named in honor of his son—where he introduced a broader range of varieties including Geisha, Ethiopian landraces, Villalobos, Bourbon, and Java.
Located at approximately 1,800 masl, Finca Iker benefits from cool temperatures and fertile soils, conditions that promote slower cherry maturation and support the development of more concentrated and expressive cup profiles.
Coffees from this farm are primarily processed using washed methods, allowing each variety to express its inherent characteristics with clarity and without the influence of additional processing techniques.
For this lot from Finca Iker, a washed process is applied. Cherries are delivered to the mill and mechanically depulped, followed by washing to remove the mucilage. The parchment is then transferred to raised beds for approximately 8 days, where it is regularly moved to ensure even drying and proper moisture reduction. After this stage, the coffee is moved to patios, where it continues drying for an additional 8 to 10 days. During this period, the parchment is spread evenly, turned frequently, and monitored daily to ensure consistent drying and optimal moisture levels. Once the desired moisture content is reached, the coffee is rested prior to milling. The dried parchment is then hulled to obtain green coffee. All stages of the process are carried out under controlled conditions, following established protocols and with full traceability maintained throughout.
The Brunca growing region is in the southern area of Costa Rica and comprises the two youngest coffee producing cantons in the country, Coto Brus and Pérez Zeledón. The region is bordered by Panama to the East, the Pacific Ocean to the South and West, and the Cordillera de Talamanca mountains, home to Chirripó, the tallest peak in Costa Rica, to the North.
The Coto Brus canton experiences average temperatures of 18–26°C and a mean elevation of 955 meters. Coffee cultivation here began in the 1950s when Italian settlers and local Costa Ricans established the first coffee farms in the area. Today, the economy of the canton revolves almost entirely around coffee, with 2,600 producers across 75 communities cultivating the crop.
Pérez Zeledón canton, located in the northwest of the Brunca growing region, has developed an economy characterized mostly by agriculture, livestock, trade, industry, and tourism. The primary agriculture in the canton today is sugar cane and coffee, with other fruits and vegetables cultivated as well. Pérez Zeledón’s geographic positioning is prime to connect the Costa Rican capital of San José with the southern areas of the country, especially regions which border Panama such as Coto Brus.
