Reviewing Drum Coffee's Small-Batch Coffee - Santa Elena (Costa Rica)

I bought a Planetary Design Airscape canister bundle which included this coffee. (Review and thoughts on the Airscape Canister in a future post)

I only used pour-over methods for brewing these beans as I didn’t think I’d be able to pull a good shot with the Bambino. That and the cups of coffee I got out of the Hario Switch and Timemore Crystal Eye were fantastic. I coudln’t tell the difference between the two if I used similar temperature and pouring method.

As for the tasting notes provided, I was only able to discern hints of the Cinnamon and Chocolate but overall it smelled great and was excellent to drink.

These beans look great to me.

What’s interesting is on their website, they also sell a honey (pulped natural) variation of this particular coffee from Costa Rica - Santa Elena, lightly roasted with tasting notes of: Red Apple, Honey, Citrus Blossom, Cacao. That would be fun to try side by side.

Brief Bio on the Santa Elena Coffee Estate from where these beans were sourced

Luz Marina Trujillo grew up in a family of coffee producers and talks happily about spending her childhood playing with coffee beans instead of dolls. Now, she produces one of the finest coffees available on her estate Santa Elena in the highlands of Costa Rica’s most famous coffee-growing region, Tarrazú. Luz Marina’s coffee is grown under shade, and the perfectly ripe cherries are hand-picked and sorted for quality at her mill. The cherries are then carefully de-pulped, washed, and dried slowly on the patios at Finca Santa Elena to fully develop acidity and depth of flavor. Additional care is given to her coffee in the “reposo” stage, resting in parchment for at least 30 days after drying before being milled and shipped to Atlas.

Like many of our favorite growers, Luz Marina takes a holistic approach to sustainability, minimizing synthetic inputs and utilizing a closed-loop fertilizing system that composts discarded coffee pulp using red-wiggler worms. Her water treatment system meets the Costa Rican government’s high environmental standards and preserves the river’s cleanliness that flows through the estate. She offers her seasonal employees outstanding housing, health care, and a state-of-the-art drinking water filtration system.

Being in Canada, I likely won’t be ordering very much directly to my Canadian address but certainly if I’m heading back to the States again, I’d have some of this shipped to where I’m staying to bring back.

There’s a whole world of coffee and coffee roasters to explore. Be sure to try roasters in your local area.