Canela: How We Cinnamon Infused Anaerobic Coffee For The Holidays

Last year, we brought you the Tapa Dulce Anaerobico. This year, we have taken it a step further. It is our pleasure to introduce the Canela: Cinnamon Anaerobic Coffee. This coffee was a project between the Montero Family and Blue House Coffee in order to help create a coffee specific for the holiday season. First, we started with Catuai from a selected region on the Montero farm, known as el Llano. We selected only the ripest coffees to be included in this batch. After picking the coffees, they were washed and underwent initial fermentation for just over 12 hours and the pulp around the beans was partially removed, creating a honey-like consistency around the beans (this is also called a honey process). The beans were then fermented for 48 hours under anaerobic conditions with sticks of canela or cinnamon. The coffee was then dried in raised beds for 3 days before being taken to the dry mill and de-husked.

The Montero family lives in El Llano de La Piedra, between the towns of San Marcos and Santa Maria de Dota in the Tarrazu canton of Costa Rica. The micromill, Microbeneficio Don Eli, is located across the river from their home fully equipped for processing fully Washed and Honey coffees and covered drying beds for Natural coffees as well. One of their several farms, Finca La Pastora, is located up on the side of a nearby mountain, with breathtaking views looking back down into the river valley and over the landscape of Tarrazu.

The result is the equivalent of a beer fermented with blueberries to add flavor. There was no cinnamon flavor added. The cinnamon is not subtle in this cup but also is not overbearing. It is a wonderful cup on a winter morning that gets you in the holiday cheer.