Ozone Coffee Arbar Oasis

This lot brings together Caturra and Catuai, two varieties that form the backbone of Costa Rican coffee production. Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon, first discovered in Brazil in the early 20th century and prized for its bright acidity and balanced sweetness. Catuai, a hybrid of Caturra and Mundo Novo developed by Brazilian researchers in the 1940s, contributes complementary notes of chocolate, caramel and nuttiness. The two are often grown side by side on Costa Rican farms, making mixed lots like this a natural expression of the country's coffee heritage.

The coffee has been processed using the white honey method, a technique Costa Rica pioneered following water shortages caused by a 2008 earthquake. In honey processing, the outer skin and fruit pulp are removed from the seed, but varying amounts of the sticky mucilage (nicknamed 'honey' for its texture) are left to dry on the bean. The colour in the name refers to how much of this mucilage remains: black honey retains the most, whilst white honey removes almost all of it. Sitting closest to a fully washed coffee on the spectrum, white honey produces a clean, balanced cup with subtle sweetness and delicate acidity. It requires precision and care to execute well, but uses significantly less water than traditional washing, making it ideally suited to the West Valley where water is a precious resource.