Meet the Farmers Behind Our Beans: The Story of Volcan Azul

At Beanlytics Craft Coffee, we believe that every cup of coffee tells a story. When you drink one of our lots, you are drinking someone’s work. This article is about the farm behind our Volcan Azul coffee: who runs it, how the coffee is grown and dried, and what that puts in the cup.

Discovering Volcan Azul

Volcan Azul sits in the West Valley of Alajuela, Costa Rica, between 1,500 and 1,700 metres above sea level. The West Valley is one of Costa Rica’s defined growing regions, and the farm is a family operation that has stayed in the same hands for five generations.

Meet the Producer

Alejo Castro is the fifth generation to run Volcan Azul. What the farm record tells us about the lot we buy:

• The producer: Alejo Castro, the fifth generation on the farm, who grows for soil health and keeps trialling new processing methods.
• The place: West Valley, Alajuela, at 1,500 to 1,700 masl.
• The variety: Caturra, a cornerstone of this farm for more than fifty years, long enough that they know exactly what it does on their soil.

How the Coffee Is Dried

This lot is natural processed: the cherry dries whole, with the fruit still around the seed. Two steps decide how that turns out.

1. Six days on the patio: the cherry dries in the sun first, which is where the fruit sweetness comes from.
2. Thirty-eight hours in a mechanical dryer: the finish that brings the moisture to a stable level without cooking off what the patio built.
3. Why it is done that way: a full natural left on the patio the whole time is a gamble with the weather. Splitting the drying holds the complexity and takes the risk out of the last stretch.

The Flavor Profile of Volcan Azul

The Volcan Azul lot we roast is layered and sweet. What we taste on the cupping table:

• Sweet vanilla aromatics at the top of the cup, with apricot and Rainier cherry behind them.
• Juicy red grape and strawberry jam, the fruit the patio drying leaves behind.
• Malted chocolate and hazelnut cream underneath, over a silky body and a long, dessert-like finish with round, gentle acidity.

That profile comes from the variety, the altitude and the drying: the patio builds the fruit, and the mechanical finish keeps it from tipping into ferment. When you drink Volcan Azul from Beanlytics, that is what you are tasting.

Supporting Our Farmers

At Beanlytics, we buy a lot at a time and name the farm on every bag, because what is in the cup is someone’s decision about their own land. By choosing Beanlytics you are buying from growers like Alejo Castro at Volcan Azul.

Brew Tips for Enjoying Volcan Azul

To truly appreciate the unique flavors of Volcan Azul, we recommend the following brewing tips:

• Water Quality: Use filtered water to preserve the integrity of the coffee’s taste.
• Grind Size: A medium grind works best for a pour-over or drip coffee method, allowing the flavors to fully develop.
• Brewing Temperature: Aim for a water temperature of around 200°F (93°C) to ensure optimal extraction.

Explore Our Coffees

Now that you have met the farm behind our Volcan Azul coffee, taste it for yourself. Shop our latest roasts and see what five generations of Caturra on the same soil puts in the cup.

Our commitment to quality, sustainability, and community shines through in every cup. Whether you’re a home brewer or a café owner looking for wholesale opportunities, connect with us today. Join our journey and explore the stories behind every bean!

Volcan Azul is one of several Costa Rican producers we have bought from. The rest are on our Costa Rican coffee page.

Related reading

• How Sustainable Coffee Sourcing Impacts Every Cup
• Exploring the Terroir: Why Origin Matters More Than Ever

Farms like this one are the reason we buy a lot at a time rather than a blend on contract, and it is also why the shelf changes. A monthly subscription follows those changes for you — a rotating single-origin lot, roasted to order, with the farm named on every bag.