Costa Rica — Alietta Family Cafe Ar Bar La Isla ETH47 (Red Honey)

Tastes Like — 🍑 Peach • 🌸 Honeysuckle • 🍊 Clementine • 🍈 Melon

DETAILS

• Producer: Alietta Family / Cafe Ar Bar
• Farm: La Isla
• Region: West Valley, Costa Rica
• Varietal: ETH47
• Process: Red Honey
• Altitude: 1,390 MASL
• Size: 250g

INTRO

La Isla has been an exclusive sourcing relationship for Apollon's Gold since 2021. The ETH47 varietal grown here by the Alietta family produces a lot that changes character subtly each harvest — this year's expression is particularly reminiscent of Ethiopian coffees, with a florally complex, layered finish that reaches back to the earliest lots they purchased in 2021 and 2022/2023.

Expect juicy peach upfront, blooming into delicate honeysuckle florals, with a complex and lingering aftertaste of clementine and melon.

THE PRODUCER

La Isla farm is owned and operated by the Alietta family under the Cafe Ar Bar label. Nestled in the West Valley region of Costa Rica at 1,390 MASL, the farm has developed a strong identity around its exclusive ETH47 lot — a varietal prized for its unusual flavour expression across different processing methods.

Apollon's Gold has purchased from La Isla every year since 2021, giving the relationship a continuity rarely seen in specialty coffee sourcing. The collaboration has allowed both parties to refine the roast profile over successive harvests, with the current lot requiring a profile close to the 2022/2023 iteration to honour its particular bean density and complexity.

THE PROCESS

The Red Honey process at La Isla involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvesting — Only ripe cherry is picked by hand at peak maturity
• 🔧 Depulping — Cherry skin is mechanically removed, leaving a controlled proportion of mucilage
• ☀️ Raised-Bed Drying — Beans are dried on raised African beds in full sun with the mucilage intact, preserving sweetness and adding body
• 📅 Extended Rest — A degassing period of 30–50 days post-roast is recommended to allow the complex flavours to fully develop

The red honey method retains more mucilage than yellow honey, delivering pronounced sweetness alongside the floral brightness characteristic of the ETH47 varietal.

THE CUP

The La Isla ETH47 delivers a cup that opens with vibrant, juicy peach before giving way to elegant honeysuckle florals. The finish is particularly complex, with clementine brightness and a smooth melon sweetness that lingers well after the last sip.

Flavour Notes

• 🍑 Peach
• 🌸 Honeysuckle
• 🍊 Clementine
• 🍈 Melon