Costa Rica
Finca Volcán Azul
Marsellesa

Honey process Marsellesa

Flavour: raspberry, poached pear, rose water

Body: Acidity:

This is one of three coffees we received this season from Finca Volcán Azul – all three are different varietals and showcase different processing methods. We started with the San Isidro back in August, and this week we’re on to the second, Marsellesa.

We believe this unique approach to varietals and processing highlights farmer Alejo Castro’s open-minded and diverse approach to his farm. His family have grown coffee in this region for well over 100 years and he has been keen to expand and grow the capacity of the farm as well as the quality of its output.

The varietal Marsellesa is a hybrid designed to flourish in Costa Rica and also presents a resistance to many diseases that blight coffees growing in this region.

This is also a red honey processed coffee, which means during processing at origin around 80-90% of the mucilage remains on the bean. The beans are then dried on raised beds in overcast or shaded conditions, and raked on the first morning and then only once or twice in the afternoon.

You can also listen to an interview with Alejo Castro in this episode of the podcast from April Coffee Roasters in Denmark:

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: Alejo Castro
Country: Costa Rica
Region: Tarrazú
Altitude: 1500-1700m above sea level
Variety: Marsellesa
Process: honey
Harvested: January 2018
Importer: Condesa Co.Lab
Body: Medium
Acidity: Vibrant
Tasting notes: Raspberry, poached pear, rose water
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Variety

Marsellesa variety

Marsellesa was developed through a hybrid of Sarchimor and Caturra. It’s highly valued for its high quality in the cup and resistance to leaf rust (thanks to its Sarchimor heritage)

The location

Coffee from Costa Rica

Since the mid-2000s there has been an increasing focus on the establishment of micro-mills in Costa Rica to increase their production of traceable, high quality lots of coffee.

The Tarrazú region of Costa Rica

The area generally considered to produce the highest grade coffee in Costa Rica. Farmers from other regions are known to market their coffee as ‘Tarrazú’ due to the strength of the name

Farm processes

Honey process

This technique leaves some flesh on the coffee cherry as it is washed and dried. This tends to give a slightly sweeter flavour, but can also reduce the quality and longevity of the coffee due to the fermentation of the sugars in the flesh.