Quirky Quetzal – Costa Rica Las Lajas Estate – Honey Process – Single Origin Coffee Beans
Cooked pineapple, mellow caramel, sugary sweetness and winey acidity.
A vibrant and fruit-forward Costa Rica coffee bean, freshly roasted in Melbourne. Perfect for filter or espresso with tropical sweetness, mellow caramel and a smooth, winey finish.
Quirky Quetzal is a beautifully sweet honey process coffee from Costa Rica, freshly roasted in Melbourne, delivering cooked pineapple, silky caramel sweetness and a rich, syrupy body. This single origin coffee showcases the exceptional quality of Las Lajas Estate, one of Costa Rica’s most respected specialty coffee producers.
Limited release Costa Rica honey process coffee beans — once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Sourced from Las Lajas Estate in Sabanilla de Alajuela, Costa Rica’s Central Valley, this coffee is produced by Oscar and Francisca Chacón, third-generation coffee producers and pioneers of innovative honey and natural coffee processing. The region’s volcanic soils, high elevation and consistent climate produce coffees with excellent sweetness, balance and complexity.
This lot undergoes a honey process, where the coffee cherries are carefully sorted and depulped while leaving the sweet fruit mucilage attached to the coffee seed during drying. This process enhances sweetness, body and fruit character while maintaining clarity and balance in the cup.
This Costa Rica single origin coffee is ideal for both espresso and filter brewing.
Expect a vibrant profile led by cooked pineapple and mellow caramel, layered with sugary sweetness and refined winey acidity. Bright and expressive as filter, and silky, sweet and syrupy as espresso.
Taste Profile
A vibrant honey process coffee with cooked tropical fruit, mellow caramel, sugary sweetness and a winey finish.
- Cooked Pineapple
- Mellow Caramel
- Brown Sugar
- Winey Acidity
Roast Options
Filter Roast → Highlights cooked pineapple, vibrant acidity and layered sugary sweetness.
Espresso Roast → Rich and syrupy with mellow caramel, tropical fruit and a smooth, winey finish.
Story & Origin
This coffee comes from Las Lajas Estate in Sabanilla de Alajuela, Costa Rica’s Central Valley, and is produced by Oscar and Francisca Chacón. The couple are third-generation coffee producers who have become internationally recognised for pioneering honey and natural coffee processing in Costa Rica.
In 2005, after years of delivering their coffee cherries to a cooperative, Oscar and Francisca joined Costa Rica’s growing micromill movement and purchased their own depulper. This gave them greater control over processing, coffee quality and the value received for their harvests.
Their early experimentation led to a wide range of honey process coffees, with different drying times and techniques used to create distinctive flavours and levels of sweetness in the cup.
Following a major earthquake in 2008 that disrupted electricity and water during harvest, the Chacón family adapted by building raised drying beds and experimenting further with natural processing. Their innovation helped establish Las Lajas as one of Costa Rica’s benchmark specialty coffee producers.
Today, Las Lajas cultivates coffee across several family farms, including Calle Liles, Calle San Juan, Los Angeles, Los Pinitos, Sabana Redonda, Sabanilla, San Luis and Calle Lajas.
Brewing Suggestions
Filter: V60, batch brew or Aeropress — expect cooked pineapple, sugary sweetness, mellow caramel and a clean winey finish.
Espresso: Espresso, stovetop or milk-based — syrupy, sweet and beautifully balanced with tropical fruit and caramel.
Coffee Details
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Origin: Sabanilla de Alajuela, Central Valley, Costa Rica
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Producers: Oscar & Francisca Chacón
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Estate: Las Lajas Estate
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Micromill: Las Lajas
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Varieties: Common Costa Rican Varieties
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Process: Honey
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Altitude: 1,400–1,600 MASL
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Harvest: December–April
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Type: Farm Select
Brew Tips & Ratios
General: Brew ratio 1:16–1:18.
Lower temperature = brighter tropical fruit and greater clarity.
Higher temperature = more body, caramel and sweetness.
V60 (16g dose)
16g coffee → 256g water at 96–98°C
Bloom 40g for 30 seconds, pour to 150g by 1:00, finish by 1:45–2:00.
Drawdown ~2:30–2:45.
Espresso (1:1.8–2.0)
20–22g dose → 36–44g yield in 26–31 seconds.
French Press
16g coffee (medium-coarse) → 240g water
Add water, stir gently and steep for 4–5 minutes. Break the crust and skim off the floating grounds.
Press the plunger halfway, then let it sit until 9 minutes total brew time.
Pour slowly into cups, leaving the coffee bed undisturbed.
Freshly roasted in Brooklyn, Melbourne with fast local delivery to Williamstown, Newport, Spotswood, Altona, Sunshine, Footscray and Yarraville.
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