Atlas Coffee Costa Rica Palmares Blend

By

Bryan Huynh

on March 21, 2024

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The Costa Rica Palmares Blend started with a sweet, lemon citrus and chocolate scent with overtones of rich, fruitiness. During brewing, the fragrance was quite rich, releasing aromas reminiscent of chocolate, graham cracker, and oats. The acidity was modest and consistent throughout. With a creamy and smooth texture, the body was fairly substantial and a highlight of the coffee. The coffee was delicious with chocolate and brown sugar. If you haven’t already, give this cup of joe a shot to expand your horizon! Check out our Coffee Club page to compare and read more reviews of our favorite coffee clubs.

Coffee Background 

Cooperativa de Caficultores y de Servicios Múltiples de Palmares (Coopepalmares) consists of more than 1,400 producer-members from Palmares, a canton in the province of Alajuela. This cooperative is designed to receive cherries from many small farms and consistently process their coffee into a well-balanced regional blend. The cutting-edge processing plant, which has International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications in environmental and quality management, uses reclaimed water, and mechanical dryers (guardiolas) recirculate airflow to enhance furnace efficiency. A water treatment facility and an organic fertilizer producing plant are also part of the project. Coopepalmares also owns two supermarkets and a hardware shop in Palmares, as well as distributing roasted coffee for domestic use. Members of the cooperative have access to low-interest loans and healthcare for their families through the cooperative's health facility and mobile clinic.

About Costa Rica Palmares Blend

Cupping Profile

  • Roast: Medium
  • Body: Full
  • Brightness: High
  • Flavor Notes: Milk chocolate, sweet cream, orange juice, graham, vanilla, cocoa

Origin Information

  • Growers: Cooperativa de Caficultores y de Servicios Múltiples de Palmares (Coopepalmares) | 1400 members
  • Altitude: 1400 masl
  • Soil: Volcanic loam
  • Region: Palmares a canton in the province of Alajuela, Costa Rica
  • Process: Eco-pulped and dried in the sun on patios
  • Harvest: November - February
  • Varietals: Caturra, Catuai
  • Certification: Conventional

Cupping Scores

Published by the Specialty Coffee Association of America, the average cupping score was 88/100 for this blend.

The Cupping Form allows you to note the following coffee flavor qualities: Fragrance/Aroma, Flavor, Aftertaste, Acidity, Body, Balance, Uniformity, Clean Cup, Sweetness, Defects, and Overall. These are evaluated on a 16-point scale indicating quality levels in quarter-point increments ranging from 6 to 9. To score your coffee, go through each specific flavor attribute and mark the points based on your own personal appraisal. 

Quality Scale

  • Good: 6-6:75
  • Very good: 7 - 7.75
  • Excellent: 8 - 8.75
  • Outstanding: 9 - 9.75

The Final Score is calculated by adding the individual scores for each of the key criteria in the "Total Score" box. Defects are then subtracted from the “Total Score” to arrive at a “Final Score.” The Scoring Key below has shown to be an effective technique to represent the range of coffee quality for the Final Score.

Total Score Quality Classification

  • Outstanding: 90-100
  • Excellent: 85-89.99
  • Very Good: 80-84.99
  • Good: <80

(Outstanding, excellent, and very good are considered Specialty coffee, while anything below that is not.)

Description

Tasting Notes: Lighter roasts will exhibit the distinctive Costa sweet floral acidity, with a lemony undertone tempered by a dry nutty/chocolate undertone. As the roasting progresses towards the medium range, the cup develops greater body and lower acidity levels, resulting in a considerably smoother mouthfeel and more distinct chocolatey element. It achieves a nice tone balance. A milder floral, a bit chocolaty/nutty, and a really nice drinker. Darker roasts also hold up well, making the cup stronger and more chocolate-like, while the roasty flavors from darker roasting complement the cup. Much more of a chocolate explosion with nutty undertones.

Roasting Notes: Like the majority of Costa Rican coffee, the medium roast level is where they really shine. Great for daily drinking, with some vivid complexity on more subdued glasses. Everyone enjoys a good Costa, which is a safe bet for a bunch of friends or family. A nice screen of coffee that is simple to roast.

What Makes the Costa Rica Palmares Blend So Special?

The Costa Rica Palmares blend is a special coffee concoction, boasting a milk chocolate, black tea, and sweet cream flavor profile. It was originally planted in the late 1700s, making it the first Central American country with a coffee industry, and by the mid-1800s it started gaining worldwide popularity, notoriety, and acclaim.

This particular blend is filled with complexity that comes from the very specific growing conditions. The beans are harvested in the Palmares region at 1400 meters and sun-dried to perfection, both the weather (climate conditions) and the soil in which it is grown contribute to the quality of the final product, which is a strong, syrupy, subtly sweet chocolate taste.

Atlas considers this special Costa Rican Palmares blend a favorite of the company's. It is a blend of traditional flavors and other more unexpected notes and tastes. They feel confident when they say that this Costa Rican coffee will likely become a personal favorite in your household. If you normally drink one cup in the morning, expect to drink two. And if you're more of a five-times-a-day kind of coffee drinker, prepare yourself to go completely coffee crazy.

There is one last benefit to mention, and that is that if you consider yourself an Instagram coffee enthusiast who appreciates and celebrates beautiful aesthetics, know that this coffee bag is definitely Instagrammable, visually exciting, and colorful. It completely reflects the beauty of Costa Rica as a country. To drink and enjoy it will be a journey to the southern hemisphere. It is certainly worth a try – just keep in mind that you might get hooked.

What is Eco-Pulping?

The method of removing the peel and flesh of the coffee cherry with little or no water is referred to as eco-pulping coffee. This method is widely used in places of the world where fresh water is scarce. This enables producers to skip the fermenting and washing phases, which use the most water and pose the greatest damage to water quality. This is considered to be the most eco-friendly coffee processing method available.

What Are The Pros of This Coffee?

  1. Rich, creamy profile
  2. Chocolate, graham cracker notes
  3. Superior Growing Conditions

Conclusion

If you want something new to kick start your day, then this blend might be for you! The Costa Rica Palmares Blend will surely show you a taste of what Costa Rica is really like. Costa Rican coffee is delicious and unique, so it’s easy to see why you’d want to seek it out. This blend brings forth flavors of orange juice, graham, vanilla, cocoa with a thick body of milk chocolate fudge and a clean silky finish. Check out some more of our favorite blends from Atlas Coffee:

Atlas Coffee Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Blend

Atlas Coffee Peru Amazonas Blend

Atlas Coffee Guatemala Huehuetenango Blend

Atlas Coffee Honduras Ocotepeque Blend

Atlas Coffee Colombia Andean Region Blend

About the Author

Product Tester & Writer

Bryan Huynh

Product Tester & Writer

Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.

Bryan Huynh is a determined Product Tester & Writer. Being a coffee addict, it is only right that he mainly tests and reviews different coffee from around the world and coffee subscription services.