Banana, grape, white chocolate
 |
Tarrazú |
 |
1,900 meters above sea level. |
 |
Catuaí Network |
 |
Natural |
 |
Romario Umaña |
A sweet and tropical natural coffee from Romario Umaña in Tarrazú
Romario Umaña founded his own washing station to process the coffee from his farm in 2019, under the name Umacor.Umacor is a combination of his mother's and father's names (Umaña + Cordero).
Romario's farm and car wash station are located in the town of San Marco de Tarrazú , part of the district of the same name in Costa Rica.
From commercial coffee to specialty coffee
Romario's grandfather grew and processed coffee, and his father worked for many years on various plantations until he earned enough money to buy his own micro-farm.Romario grew up helping his father and grandfather when he wasn't studying or cycling through the mountainous region of Tarrazú.
During this time, the family took their coffee to local cooperatives for processing or sold it to multinational washing stations, where it was blended with other conventional coffees.
In Costa Rica, families are very close-knit, and Romario's cousins started their own micro-washing plant.Romario and his brothers spent a lot of time learning the entire coffee-making process hands-on.
In 2019, Romario developed a plan to establish his own micro-washing plant and presented it to his family.
Romario explained to his family that with all the knowledge they had accumulated about coffee growing and having their own washing plant, they could obtain better quality coffee for which they could get a better price.
Having control over coffee, from the seed to the bag for sale, allows for quality control and traceability that ensures its quality.Essentially, they went from growing good coffee that was lost in large batches to growing specialty coffee that they planted, harvested, processed, and sold themselves. The result is exceptional coffee.
The Umacor principle
Umacor started very simply. The Tarrazu region has become a hub of micro-farms and washing stations that have created a specialty coffee ecosystem with excellent results.
It features a simple but effective washing and processing system. It has several siphons where the coffee is deposited once it's picked, several washing tanks, and drying beds.
Currently, the entire process is done manually, as installing mechanical systems requires electricity, which is difficult to access in this region and is more expensive.
Romario and his family intend to improve and mechanize some parts of the process, but the fact that everything is currently done manually doesn't detract from the quality of the coffee; on the contrary.
This is possible because their first production, which was in 2020 and relatively small, was 10 bags. This has increased to 20 for this 2022 harvest.
Type of processing
Once the coffee is collected, it is dropped into the receiving siphon and sent to a simple floating system they built to remove light, underripe fruit and other foreign elements.The cherries are then placed on raised drying beds in a thin layer.
They make sure to move and turn the fruit frequently in a drying process that typically takes about 22 days to reach the optimal moisture level, resulting in a very clean, natural processed coffee.
The resulting coffee is very fruity, but due to the natural qualities of the plant and the soil, since it undergoes almost no fermentation.
Tarrazú, a unique place for coffee cultivation
All coffees from this region, at the base of La Cruz Mountain, have been of exceptional quality year after year, thanks to the region's microclimate, the quality of the soil, and the expertise of the coffee growers.
