Longing for Summer Days and the Costa Rica Full Honey Special
Last week, I received an email that opened with, “I hope you all are having a nice week and enjoying the last bit of late summer weather.” It was a kind thought. After all, as long as I’ve lived in San Francisco, the first week of October almost always guarantees warm weather–if not some of the warmest we feel all year. Almost… especially in the Sunset district. Upon walking towards the roastery that morning, I found myself swimming through a thick layer of fog. Not the humid one I had gotten used to the past few weeks, but the kind that seeps through your sweater and gives you a slight chill. That, combined with the sun sleeping past 7:00am, was a clear reminder to me that fall is here.
It’s October. And although I’m starting to get cozy in my soft sweaters and embracing the return of pumpkin spice lattes, I’m still refusing to wear proper shoes. At the end of each day, I look at the shade of tan that my birkenstocks shaped on my feet and think, “these tan lines aren’t dark enough. My arms aren’t dark enough, either.” Then I start to think about the clothes I purchased at the end of the previous summer, and how they’ve barely had their time in the sun. Where did my summer go? It seems to have breezed through, and so now I’m hanging onto any small thing that reminds me of long, warm days. This includes curious, fruity, boozy coffees.
To the adventurous coffee drinker, our latest coffee from Costa Rica is loud and unapologetic– much like the night clubs I imagine on the island of Mykonos. It has a vibrant, candy-like and boozy aroma. At first sip, it has both tart and rich fruit notes like concord grape before it settles into flavors reminiscent of fruit beers. It’s the lingering, alcoholic quality at the finish that makes this wild coffee sophisticated as well. I’ve been finding myself drinking this coffee later in the day, and especially in the early evening when I’m wanting to sustain my energy and keep conversation lively. While friends gather ingredients to make a cocktail, I’m pulling out this coffee and serving it in a rocks glass with large ice cubes and an orange garnish.
Coffee First! Meeting with Ricardo Ureña Rojas before the doors open at the 2022 Specialty Coffee Expo in Boston
*top image from Rivense del Chirripó
We were floored when we first received this coffee last year from our long time partner, Cafe Rivense Del Chirripó—and this year’s harvest is just as much of a show stopper. This coffee is not for the faint of heart: it carries a brilliance and complexity that questions tradition and asks, why not? If you’re looking to explore the coffee flavor wheel or wanting to use a drink as conversation starter, this is the coffee for you.
