Finca El Cedral

The Monge Quirós Family have delivered another stand-out coffee this year – full of honeyed fruit notes and a punchy acidity. Over the last couple of years, the family have concentrated on making changes to the farm to help deal with changes in their local climate. It has been getting warmer and dryer in this area of El Cedral de Aserrí, making keeping moisture in the soil a priority. This helps with plant growth and gives a support for the root structure of the trees. Both moisture and structure are needed to prevent soil erosion and moisture evaporation. Aloe vera has been planted on the edges of the farm tracks, and Uruca (a native tree) on the areas that border the coffee trees (as well as amongst them). The Uruca helps with shade protection for the coffee. It is not straightforward to establish the ideal planting patterns for shade trees – too few and they will be ineffective, too many and they will trap too much humidity in the area leading the fungus growth in the rainy season.