Farm info

The Tributos del Ota micromill project began in 2017 when Enrique Romero Chacón, at the age of 19 years old, proposed changing the way his family produced and processed their coffee. His idea was to start his own micromill and mill the coffee his parents had been cultivating since 1980. The decision to start their micromill presented many challenges, but with the support and collaboration of his family—his father Victor Romero, his mother Thais Chacón, and his two brothers Victor Javier and Julio Cesar Romero Chacón—Enrique has accomplished a dream.

Each family member plays a role in production, from improving the quality of their coffee cherries to finding quality and innovative ways to process their coffee. Enrique says that the most important part of the project was his father, who has more than 40 years of experience producing coffee. That knowledge has been passed on to the whole family and is part of the legacy he’s sharing with his children.

Tributos del Ota was founded in Santa María de Dota valley, a region located 64 km southeast of San José. The valley enjoys stable weather conditions and high elevations, contributing to the quality and consistency of the coffee cherries. The name “Tributos del Ota” dates back to pre-Columbian times when the territory was occupied by indigenous people from the Huetar de Oriente Kingdom. The name “Dota” has its roots in the name of the Ota chieftain, chief of the Quepoas tribe, who used the valley as a trade route. The name “Tributos del Ota” was chosen to honor the legacy of the past, and with the goal to offer their coffee as a tribute to the people who drink their coffees.

Along with his mill, Enrique also opened his own roastery in San Marcos de Tarrazú where he roasts his family’s coffee to offer in coffee shops and restaurants in Costa Rica’s capital, San José. His vision is to elevate the specialty coffee scene in Costa Rica, which is why he keeps a certain amount of his family’s coffee to sell domestically. Today, Enrique is also roasting for other producers in the region, allowing them to sell their coffee as a quality roasted product and contributing to the coffee scene that Enrique envisions.

The farm where this lot of coffee came from totals 36 hectares with elevations from 1875–2050 meters above sea level. Here at the farm is where the family has their latest project, cultivating a wide selection of coffees including Gesha, Milenio, SL-28, Laurina, and many more. Enrique explains that the farm is called “Don Joaquin” after family members, Joaquin Quiroz and Maria De Los Angeles Chacon Zuñiga, from whom he and his family inherited the farm from.

Enrique and his family look forward to making improvements to the mill and gradually achieving greater sustainability in their coffee production. This will include new technologies and equipment, being more efficient with water and energy, and continuing to take steps toward mitigating climate change and creating natural habitat for local animals by planting trees in their coffee farms.

This coffee underwent Washed processing at Tributos del Ota. Cherries are harvested only once they reach greater than 20 degrees Brix, ensuring high sugar content in the fruit. The cherries are hand sorted to remove underripe fruit and debris before being transferred to the washing station where they are then sorted by density. Cherries are fermented overnight in a fermentation pool with controlled pH and temperature. The coffee is then pulped and moved to raised beds in a greenhouse drying building. The pulped coffee is moved every half hour throughout drying to ensure even drying and no over-fermentation. The coffee is dried for 15 days or more until it reaches a humidity of 10.5% Once the coffee has been dried, it is rested for 2–3 months to stabilize. Coffee is finally transported to the dry mill where it is sorted again by density, size, and color before being packaged for export.

Region

Tarrazú

The Tarrazú region lies in the high mountains of the southern Pacific region south of Costa Rica’s capital city of San Jose and is one of the most densely planted high altitude regions in Central America, with many farms at or above 2000 meters above sea level. It is locally known as “Zona de Los Santos” for the number of towns with “San” or “Santa” in their names.

Tarrazú’s climate is characterized by two well-defined seasons; a rainy season lasting seven months (May through November) and a dry season (December through April). This encourages uniform coffee blossoming. On average, precipitation is between 2,400 millimeters (94.5 inches) per year, with an average annual temperature of 19°C (66.2°F).