Swerl Coffee Roasters - Las Lajas San Isidro 39 BD Natural | Costa Rica

Costa Rica — Oscar & Francisca Chacón Las Lajas San Isidro 39 (Black Diamond Natural)

Tastes Like — 🍫 Milk Chocolate • 🍑 Dried Sweet Prunes • 🍯 Syrupy

DETAILS

• Producers: Oscar & Francisca Chacón
• Farm/Mill: Las Lajas
• Region: Sabanilla de Alajuela, Central Valley, Costa Rica
• Varietal: San Isidro 39
• Process: Black Diamond Natural
• Elevation: 1,700 masl

INTRO Swerl's third year working with Las Lajas — one of Costa Rica's most renowned micro mills, run by third-generation producers Oscar and Francisca Chacón. Layered, bold, and complex, this Black Diamond Natural delivers milk chocolate and dried sweet prune depth in a syrupy, delicious cup. In the cup: milk chocolate, dried sweet prunes, and syrupy sweetness.

THE PRODUCER Las Lajas sits in the foothills of the Poás volcano, farmed by the Chacón family for more than 80 years. In 2000, it became one of the first farms in Costa Rica to receive organic certification, though the family's commitment to organic practice began well before that — a deeply personal shift that's since become central to the farm's identity. Across the property's 38 hectares, Oscar and Francisca manage a diverse range of parcels, shaped by different shade trees, microclimates, and processing methods, giving each lot a distinct sense of place. Swerl featured Las Lajas for two years, paused for a season, and is glad to bring them back.

THE PROCESS Black Diamond is one of Las Lajas' signature natural processes. Only fully ripe, hand-picked cherries with Brix levels above 22% are selected, then cleaned, floater-separated, and electronically sorted before slow-drying in a greenhouse for 22 to 30 days. The coffee then rests in a temperature-controlled warehouse for at least 60 days to stabilise moisture and develop flavour complexity before final threshing, grading, and packaging.

The high-Brix cherry selection combined with the extended 60-day rest is the defining step — it's what builds the deep milk chocolate and dried prune richness, and the syrupy body, that define this cup.

THE CUP Layered, bold, and complex — milk chocolate and dried sweet prune sweetness run throughout, with a syrupy, dessert-like body. A consistently excellent showing from one of Costa Rica's most respected micro mills.

Flavour Notes 🍫 Milk Chocolate 🍑 Dried Sweet Prunes 🍯 Syrupy