Costa Rica - Max Salazar Rodríguez

Producer: Max Salazar Rodríguez
Farm: La Isabela
Varietal: Sudan Rume
Processing: Natural 
Origin: Zarcero, Alajuela, Costa Rica
Elevation: 1550–1700 meters
Tasting Notes: Blueberry, Lime, Honey, Jasmine 
Sourced From: Ally Coffee
Bag Size: 227g/8oz

About La Isabela :

This lot comes from La Isabela, a 7-hectare farm owned by Max and his parents, Claudio and Dunia, sitting at 1550–1700 meters above sea level. With warm days, cool nights, and ample shade trees, the farm provides ideal conditions for slow cherry maturation and high sugar development. While the Salazar family grows a wide range of varieties across their farms, La Isabela produces limited quantities, with only a portion currently processed at the micromill as carefully crafted nanolots.

The Salazar family continues to look ahead, investing in sustainability, efficiency, and environmental stewardship through improved technologies, responsible water and energy use, and reforestation efforts. Their work has already earned ecological certifications, and their commitment remains clear: to create coffees that reflect their land, their family, and generations of dedication to the craft.

The Roast Profile and Roast Approach :

For this Sudan Rume, we found it responded best to a gentle application of heat from the start, gradually increasing until reaching our maximum gas around two minutes into the roast. From there, we managed heat as usual, slowly backing off leading up to first crack and then moving to our lowest setting shortly after. This approach allowed us to keep the roast light while still giving the interior of the bean enough time to develop. We found this helped maintain balance and transparency without sacrificing complexity. The result is an elegant, expressive coffee with refined sweetness, soft acidity, a silky mouthfeel, and a clean, lingering finish.