Costa Rica Aquiares Estate — Esperanza | African Washed - Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters
Costa Rica Aquiares Estate — Esperanza | African Washed - Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters
Costa Rica Aquiares Estate — Esperanza | African Washed - Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters
Costa Rica Aquiares Estate — Esperanza | African Washed - Dessert Oasis Coffee Roasters

Costa Rica Aquiares Estate — Esperanza | African Washed

$22.95
Size: 12oz
An award-winning farm, a rare hybrid varietal, and a process borrowed from the best in the world — this one is special.

From the legendary Aquiares Estate in Turrialba, Costa Rica, this African Washed Esperanza is one of the most distinctive coffees in our current lineup. Managed by award-winning producer Diego Robelo, Aquiares is one of the only farms in the world growing Esperanza on a commercial scale — a rare hybrid varietal with deep African roots and an elegance in the cup that reflects exactly that heritage.

Look for notes of blackberry, lime, and brown sugar — deep, dark fruit with a bright lift and a warm sweetness that pulls it all into balance. Rich, refined, and quietly exceptional. This coffee is available by the bag in-store and online, and for wholesale. 

All online orders ship Mondays and Thursdays.

Pick up orders will be fulfilled on Mondays and Thursdays. Your order will be processed on the next closest fulfillment day and ready for pickup after 5pm the following day (Tuesday or Friday) at your selected location. You’ll receive an email notification once your order is ready for pick up!

Size: 12oz

THE DETAILS —

Blackberry, Lime, and Brown Sugar

African Washed

Turrialba

Diego Robelo, Aquiares Estate

Esperanza

A variety discovered on a single farm — washed, refined, and more expressive than ever.

ABOUT THE COFFEE

IN FOCUS: Costa Rica Aquiares Estate — African Washed Esperanza

Producer & Farm
Aquiares Estate takes its name from the Huetar indigenous language — "land between rivers" — and sits on the lush, biodiverse slopes of the Turrialba volcano in Costa Rica. Founded in 1890 and home today to 1,800 people, the farm was transformed by Alfonso Robelo, who arrived from Nicaragua in the 1980s and built Aquiares into something far beyond a coffee operation: a thriving community where workers own their homes, carbon emissions are actively measured and offset, and researchers from around the world are welcomed to study its agroecological environment.

Today the farm is managed by Alfonso's son Diego Robelo, whose commitment to specialty coffee, varietal experimentation, and processing innovation has made Aquiares one of the most celebrated estates in all of Central America. These lots come to us in partnership with our importing partners at Ally Coffee, reflecting our shared values around sustainability, equity, and innovation.

Varietal: Esperanza
Esperanza is a rare hybrid variety created by crossing Sarchimor T-5296 with a wild Ethiopian variety (ET25) — bringing together disease resistance and high yield on one side, and the complex, elegant cup character of wild Ethiopian genetics on the other. It's uncommon in Costa Rica and genuinely rare at commercial scale anywhere in the world. Aquiares is one of the very few farms equipped — both climatically and agronomically — to grow it well, with the farm's unique microclimate and meticulous management meeting the variety's complex nutritional demands. The result is a varietal that represents the best of both worlds: practical to grow, extraordinary in the cup.

Process: African Washed
Rather than a conventional washed process, this lot was processed using a method more closely aligned with traditional African — specifically Kenyan — washing techniques. This multi-step washing and fermentation process is more labor-intensive than standard washed methods, but produces an exceptionally clean, structured, and layered cup. After processing, the coffee was dried on raised beds in a solar dryer for 18–24 days, allowing for slow, even drying that preserves clarity and complexity through to the finish.

Cup Profile
Blackberry leads with deep, dark fruit sweetness — rich but not heavy — while lime adds a bright, clean lift that keeps the cup lively. Brown sugar rounds out the finish with a warm, grounding sweetness that ties it all together beautifully. This year's crop is a touch more rounded than previous harvests while still popping with clarity and definition. Elegant, balanced, and deeply satisfying.