El Jordan / Costa Rica (Imperial Reserve)
Father and son, Hiver & Esteven Vargas, have spent their entire lives in coffee. In 2011, they established their own mill, Don Sabino, and transitioned to exclusively producing cherry-dried (natural) coffees in 2014, based on their own preferences in the cup. With secret techniques they hold tightly, they are able to produce cherry-dried coffees with much greater clarity than most you will see, with acidities pushing through the rich, fruity sweetness you may be accustomed to in this style. One of these secrets may just be how closely they keep their coffee. It is harvested, dried, and milled at their home, allowing them to constantly monitor quality. Prior to featuring El Jordan, we were offering El Apostle, another farm owned by the family and milled in the same manner.
El Jordan is beautifully complex, yet approachable with uniquely contrasting elements. In the forefront, flavors of rose and raspberry jump forward with a creamy undertone that reminded us of white chocolate custard. This coffee also carries a soft tannic element, similar to green tea and cranberries, that binds the delicate to the creamy in great harmony. It is the perfect coffee to bring a little brightness to these shorter days.
