Finca Doña Elsa SL28

For nearly 20 years, we have been traveling along the equator, following the so-called "coffee belt," always with the goal of finding the best coffees. Establishing a personal connection with the farmers has been important to us, and over the years, we have had the opportunity to learn about their various methods and approaches.

The time spent on the farms has been invaluable to us because we know firsthand that behind the hard work, every harvest, and every bean, there is an unwavering desire to achieve the best possible result.

During our travels, we learned a lot, and a secret wish began to grow within us, like a seed. Over time, this wish grew into a plant, initially delicate and small, but over the years, it became increasingly stronger. In the end, it became undeniable: We dreamt of operating our own farm where we could grow our own coffee, gather more experiences, and experiment with everything possible right on-site.

In Costa Rica, one of our favorite places, this dream was destined to come true! Costa Rica is known for high coffee quality, breathtaking nature, and, most importantly for us, incredibly warm-hearted people. In the highlands of Tarrazu, we found an abandoned steep slope at around 1950 meters above sea level, the perfect location for our farm.

But first, there was a lot of work awaiting us. With the help of friendly neighbors, we cleared a small path from the public road to our farm. We love trees, so we kept them and even planted some fruit trees. Simultaneously, we searched for special Arabica coffee varieties. Ultimately, four main varieties and a whole range of experimental varieties for our experimental garden made the cut.

In the southern part of the country, the selected coffee seeds grew into small seedlings in a nursery, which we later planted, one by one and by hand, on our farm. After planting the cuttings, we needed a lot of patience because good things take time. After three years of tender care for our coffee trees, the first dark red coffee cherries ripened, giving us our first mini-harvest. In total, our farm yielded only 40 kg of roasted coffee. However, we were absolutely thrilled and infinitely proud of every single gram of this coffee. Every cup of coffee was pure joy.

We achieved all of this as a family! In memory of our dear grandmother Elsa and our family bonds, we named our estate "Doña Elsa."

This year, the harvest on our beloved piece of land in Costa Rica has been somewhat larger. Our harvest has been brought in, shipped to Munich, and roasted in our roastery. We are proud of every single bean because, in this case, we can guarantee that every step from planting the seeds to harvest and roasting was done with care and love.

Today, we are delighted that we can finally share our coffee, "Doña Elsa," with our family, friends, and customers. Enjoying it together is even more fun!

There are many different recipes that lead to an excellent cup of coffee, the following example should serve as a basic recipe and can be changed and adapted according to your wishes and willingness to experiment. With this recipe you will brew about 270 ml of coffee, that is one cup, or two cups.

Here is a small guide:

Step by step

Step 1 Preparation:

• Grind 18 g of coffee
• Rinse the filter paper to get rid of papery flavor and preheat the brewer.

Step 2 Blooming:

• Pour in 18 g of coffee.
• Start timer.
• With approx. 40 g water, wet all coffee evenly and quickly.

Blooming prepares the coffee for the coming extraction.

Step 3 Intervals:

Use slow circular motions going inward and back outward in spirals for each pour

• 00:30 min to 120 g
• 00:50 min to 180 g
• 01:15 min to 240 g
• 01:40 min to 300 g

Finally, wait until the coffee has finished brewing and enjoy!

Our quality standards

The roasting craft