Costa Rica — Oscar & Luis Monge La Lia Micro-Mill Yellow Typica (Yellow Honey)

Tastes Like — 🍍 Pineapple • 💜 Lavender • 🍑 Peach

DETAILS

• Producer: Oscar & Luis Monge
• Region: Tarrazú, Costa Rica
• Varietal: Yellow Typica
• Process: Yellow Honey
• Altitude: 1,940 MASL

INTRO

An exclusive lot from La Lia Micro-Mill in Tarrazú — one of Apollon's Gold's most enduring relationships, bringing this Yellow Typica to market every year since 2021. What began as an extraordinarily small 23kg lot produced for a Costa Rica Brewers Cup champion has grown steadily as the trees have taken root, and this year's harvest is the most expressive yet. In the cup: juicy pineapple, vibrant lavender florals, and a sweet peach finish.

THE PRODUCER

La Lia Micro-Mill is run by Oscar and Luis Monge in Tarrazú — one of Costa Rica's most celebrated coffee-growing regions, known for its high altitude, rich volcanic soils, and the exceptional clarity and acidity it imparts to the cup. The Yellow Typica trees behind this lot were originally cultivated to produce a competition-grade coffee for a Costa Rica Brewers Cup champion, and the lot size reflects how carefully the Monge family have nurtured them — growing from just 23kg in 2021 to over 100kg in 2025 as the trees have established and flourished.

This year's harvest is notably expressive, with vibrant florals and a rich, lively acidity that draws comparisons to high-grown Geisha — a sign, as the producers note, that the trees have truly rooted themselves to the land.

THE PROCESS

The Yellow Honey process at La Lia Micro-Mill involves:

🍒 Hand-picking — Cherries selectively harvested at peak ripeness 🔧 Depulping — Outer skin removed while a portion of the mucilage is retained on the bean ☀️ Raised-bed drying — Coffee dried with mucilage intact, allowing the sugars to slowly integrate into the bean 🔄 Regular turning — Carefully managed throughout drying to ensure even fermentation and consistent flavour development

Retaining the mucilage during drying is the defining step — the sugars and fruit character of the yellow honey process contribute directly to the sweetness and floral complexity that make this lot so distinctive, while the high altitude of Tarrazú preserves the bright, juicy acidity that runs through every cup.

THE CUP

A truly special exclusive lot from one of Costa Rica's finest micro-mills — year on year this Yellow Typica grows in stature, and the 2025 harvest is its most compelling chapter yet. Pineapple vibrancy, lavender florality, and a lingering peach sweetness at 1,940 MASL: a coffee that rewards the patient and the curious in equal measure.

Flavour Notes

🍍 Pineapple 💜 Lavender 🍑 Peach

Honduras — Erwin “Wingo” Mierisch, La Casona, Finca Santa Lucia Geisha (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🍋 Lime • 🌸 Jasmine • 🍈 Rambutan

DETAILS

• Producer: Erwin “Wingo” Mierisch, Fincas Mierisch
• Farm: La Casona, Finca Santa Lucia
• Region: Comayagua, Honduras
• Varietal: Geisha
• Process: Classic Washed
• Altitude: 1,550 MASL
• Size: 100g

INTRO

La Casona is the other plot within Finca Santa Lucia, owned by Apollon’s Gold’s long-term partner Fincas Mierisch. It is one of the most storied competition lots in Central America — the La Casona plot is the specific lot that took first place at the Honduras Cup of Excellence in 2019 with a remarkable 94.84 points, and the Santa Lucia Geisha (a blend of La Casona and the adjacent El Triangulo plot) went on to win COE #1 again in 2021.

Whilst this has long been Apollon’s Gold’s favourite coffee from Wingo, this particular harvest may be the most vibrant La Casona they have yet received. Expect juicy lime, vibrant jasmine florals, and a sweet rambutan finish.

THE PRODUCER

Fincas Mierisch is one of the most consistently awarded coffee operations in Central America. The Mierisch family produces coffee across fourteen farms in Nicaragua and Honduras, with their Santa Lucia plots in Comayagua, Honduras representing the absolute pinnacle of their output. Wingo Mierisch has been a direct partner and close friend of Apollon’s Gold since 2017, and the relationship between the two has grown into one of the most significant long-term direct trade partnerships in the specialty coffee world.

Their commitment to cultivar integrity, careful processing, and high-altitude cultivation has made their Geisha lots among the most sought-after in global competition coffee. The La Casona and El Triangulo plots sit side by side within Finca Santa Lucia, each expressing a distinct character despite their proximity — La Casona delivering the elegance and citrus clarity that defines the best classic washed Geisha.

THE PROCESS

The Classic Washed process at La Casona involves:

• 🍒 Selective Harvesting — Ripe Geisha cherries picked by hand at peak development
• 🔧 Pulping — Mechanical removal of the cherry skin shortly after picking
• 💧 Fermentation — Parchment fermented in tanks to break down the remaining mucilage
• 💧 Washing — Thorough washing in clean water channels to achieve full clarity
• ☀️ Raised Bed Drying — Parchment dried slowly on raised beds under careful monitoring
• ✅ Quality Control — Rigorous sorting at every stage to maintain lot integrity

The result is a brilliantly transparent cup — clean and precise, allowing the inherent character of the Geisha varietal and the Comayagua terroir to express themselves fully and without interference.

THE CUP

La Casona is vibrant and refined in equal measure. Juicy lime acidity opens the cup with brightness and precision, giving way to intense jasmine florals on the mid-palate. The finish is soft and sweet, with a lingering rambutan character that speaks directly to the Geisha varietal’s inherent tropical complexity.

Flavour Notes

• 🍋 Lime
• 🌸 Jasmine
• 🍈 Rambutan

Colombia — Fray David Moreno "Rosal" Chiroso (Washed)

Tastes Like — 🫐 Blue Raspberry • 🍊 Mandarin Orange • 🌸 Orange Blossom

DETAILS

• Producer: Fray David Moreno
• Farm: Rosal
• Region: Pabón, Urrao, Colombia
• Varietal: Chiroso
• Process: Washed
• Altitude: 1,900 masl

INTRO From Fray David Moreno's farm "Rosal," beside the Penderisco River in Pabón, Urrao — a remarkably loud and juicy Chiroso with an interesting fermentation character and a lasting floral finish. A process-forward blue raspberry note leads with intense candied sweetness, cooling into mandarin orange and orange blossom tones. In the cup: blue raspberry, mandarin orange, and orange blossom.

THE PRODUCER Rosal sits at 1,900 masl in the small rural town of Pabón, right beside the Penderisco River — an area known for cool breezes and a stable climate, ideal for growing coffee. Fray has been farming coffee for over 25 years, and after seeing the success of his neighbours' Chiroso plots in 2011, decided to plant his own. Fifteen years of experience growing the varietal and refining his techniques have paid off — his Chiroso stood out clearly among Unblended's samples for its loud, juicy, fruited profile.

THE PROCESS This lot is Washed, a method that removes the fruit before fermentation and drying — but here, the fermentation character itself is what stands out, building the intensely candied, juicy blue raspberry note that leads the cup.

The distinctive fermentation profile is the defining detail here — intense without tipping into overt funk, it's what gives this cup its process-forward blue raspberry sweetness while still allowing mandarin orange and orange blossom nuance to shine through as it cools.

THE CUP Loud and juicy — a candied blue raspberry note leads with intense sweetness, cooling into nice mandarin orange and orange blossom tones, with a lasting florality that lingers on the finish.

Flavour Notes 🫐 Blue Raspberry 🍊 Mandarin Orange 🌸 Orange Blossom

Ethiopia — Jigesa Washing Station Landrace (Washed, G1)

Tastes Like — 🍉 Watermelon • 🍈 Grapefruit Juice • 🌹 Rose

DETAILS

• Producer: 850 smallholders surrounding Jigesa Washing Station (Testi Coffee)
• Region: Shakiso, Guji, Ethiopia
• Varietal: Landrace
• Process: Washed (G1)
• Altitude: 1,800–1,950 masl

INTRO The Jigesa Washing Station serves over 850 smallholder farmers in Shakiso, Guji, each farming an average of 2.5 hectares. This G1 lot holds Testi Coffee's reputation for extreme consistency, with a uniquely red cup profile absent of stonefruit — a real departure from typical washed Ethiopian flavour expectations. A sticky watermelon sweetness leads, followed by a tart ruby grapefruit juice punch, mellowing into cool red tones of rose. In the cup: watermelon, grapefruit juice, and rose.

THE PRODUCER Farmers contributing cherry to Jigesa typically grow coffee as their main cash crop alongside corn, wheat, and bananas, between 1,800–1,950 masl, and are encouraged to grow Birbira, Acacia, and Wanza trees for shade. Jigesa is owned and operated by Testi Coffee, founded by Faysel Abdosh in 2009. His broader work managing washing stations has contributed to many lots sourced through Testi from Cafe Imports and Trabocca, coffees known for extremely consistent quality standards.

THE PROCESS This lot is Washed and graded G1, a method that removes the fruit before fermentation and drying — allowing this landrace lot's naturally red, floral character to come through with clarity, notably absent the stonefruit typical of washed Ethiopians.

The absence of typical stonefruit character is the defining detail here — it's what gives this lot its distinctly red-fruited profile, building the watermelon sweetness and rose florality that set this cup apart.

THE CUP Uniquely red-fruited — a sticky watermelon sweetness immediately upfront, followed by a tart ruby grapefruit juice punch, mellowing into cool red tones of rose and hibiscus.

Flavour Notes 🍉 Watermelon 🍈 Grapefruit Juice 🌹 Rose

Kenya — Karundu Coffee Factory SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 & Batian (Washed, AA)

Tastes Like — 🥤 Cola • 🍐 Poached Pear • 🍇 Plum Jam • 🍵 Rooibos Tea

DETAILS

• Producer: Karundu Coffee Factory
• Farm: Rugi Farmers Co-operative Society
• Region: Nyeri County, Kenya
• Varietal: SL28, SL34, Ruiru 11 & Batian
• Process: Washed (AA)
• Altitude: 1,650 masl

INTRO A washed AA from the Karundu Coffee Factory in Nyeri — the kind of "pear pressure" you'll be happy to give in to. Lively cola sweetness opens the cup, before soft poached pear takes over. Rich plum jam brings the depth, and a delicate rooibos tea finish keeps it refined from first sip to last. In the cup: cola, poached pear, plum jam, and rooibos tea.

THE PRODUCER Established in the 1960s, Karundu Coffee Factory is a wet mill operated by the Rugi Farmers Co-operative Society in Nyeri County, sitting between the foothills of the Aberdare range and Mount Kenya at around 1,650 metres. It works with roughly 700 smallholder farmers, most tending small plots of about 0.3 acres with around 100 coffee trees each.

THE PROCESS Ripe cherries are pulped with water from the Sagana River, rested overnight, then washed, soaked, and dried slowly on raised tables, with the parchment turned frequently to preserve clarity and complexity.

The overnight rest before washing is the defining detail here — combined with the slow raised-table drying, it's what preserves the coffee's remarkable clarity, letting the cola, pear, and plum jam character shine through cleanly.

THE CUP Bright and juicy — cola-like sweetness opens the cup, soft poached pear develops through the middle, and rich plum jam brings a deep, fruit-forward core. Delicate rooibos tea carries a refined, lingering finish — classic Kenyan clarity with remarkable sweetness and balance.

Flavour Notes 🥤 Cola 🍐 Poached Pear 🍇 Plum Jam 🍵 Rooibos Tea