The Road to Aquiares:

by Christopher Pierce • 6 min read

In June 2022, I visited Aquiares Estate in Turrialba, Costa Rica - a farm we've sourced from for three consecutive years. This wasn't just a sourcing trip; it was a chance to understand the culture, labor practices, and farming systems that produce the coffees we roast at Loom Coffee Co.

Summer of 2023 marks the third year we've carried Aquiares coffees on our menu. We've worked with Ally Coffee Importers to bring you the Centroamericano Anaerobic Natural and the Esperanza Red Honey - coffees that have earned their place through consistent quality, crop after crop.

A Community Built on Coffee

Aquiares Estate is home to over 1,800 people whose lives are intricately connected to the rhythm of coffee seasons. This isn't just a farm - it's a working community where 96% of residents own their homes, many built through initiatives started in the 1990s when Alfonso Robelo took ownership of the estate.

Alfonso, a political refugee from Nicaragua, initiated a campaign throughout the 1990s to improve home ownership within the Aquiares community and address equitable labor practices and education for farm workers. The result: a well-educated community and a highly skilled workforce. This interdependent, mutually beneficial structure is crucial to Aquiares' character - a progressive coffee estate that leads the industry by example.

The homeownership stability means families stay, and expertise passes from generation to generation. This is visible in the work: cherries are picked at peak ripeness, the delicate 18-24 day drying periods are executed without cutting corners, and quality remains consistent year after year.

Driving through the hills toward Turrialba, coffee farms are visible at every elevation. The town of Aquiares sits at the center of the estate - a community united by coffee production.

Diego Robelo: A Third-Generation Coffee Innovator

At the heart of Aquiares' operations is Diego Robelo, third-generation coffee producer and farm manager. Diego is the son of Alfonso Robelo, and his commitment to sustainable and equitable practices was evident from the moment I met him. He speaks with precision about the coffee varieties they grow, the farming techniques they use, and the care they put into every step of production.

Before heading to the quality-control lab for a cupping session, Diego insisted we see the Catarata de Aquiares - a 132-foot waterfall about one hour's hike from the Hacienda. The path through the forest winds through coffee plants and native trees - part of Aquiares' carbon-negative agroforestry system. Diego swam directly into the waterfall, emerging from the water smiling. Back at the Hacienda, we prepared to cup some coffees at the lab.

Cupping Coffees at Aquiares Estate

Arriving at the mill, we found a new Probat sample roaster had just been delivered. Diego and Armando, the mill manager, uncrated the double-barrel roaster and examined the build - sleek blue steel and brass.

Michaela Tomchek (a traceability specialist from Mercanta Coffee Importers who was also visiting the farm) and I helped prepare the cupping table, weighing out doses of twelve unique Aquiares coffees. Armando filled each cupping bowl with a prescribed amount of hot water and set a timer for exactly four minutes. This would be a blind cupping - we wouldn't know which coffee varietal or processing method we were tasting in each cup.

Several coffees on the table were excellent, but two stole the show in terms of flavor, complexity, sweetness, and distinctive character. After comparing notes, Diego revealed those two coffees were the same cultivar: Mariana. This variety is a newcomer to Aquiares - an F1 hybrid developed in Nicaragua, selected for its rust resistance, vigorous growth, and exceptional cup profile.

Why Rust Resistance Matters

This year, the Mariana varietal from Aquiares placed into Round Two of the prestigious Cup of Excellence competition, representing a milestone for Aquiares and the Turrialba region. The honey-processed version showed dark fruits in the cup - plum, cherry, guava, and molasses. The naturally processed version carried a similar profile, along with melon flavors, cantaloupe, papaya, and caramel sweetness. Dynamic tasting experience with interplay between delicate acids and fruity sweetness. Juicy and clean mouthfeel, with a crisp and refreshing finish.

Rust resistance isn't just about protecting yields - it's about whether a farm can maintain quality year after year when disease pressure hits. Varietals like Mariana allow farms like Aquiares to produce exceptional coffee consistently, which is why we've been able to source from them three years running.

After the cupping, I spoke with Diego about bringing a limited run of the Mariana to our menu. I bought as much of the Mariana Natural as I could fit in my carry-on. We're proud to share this coffee with you - the latest chapter in Aquiares Estate's history of innovation.

Why This Matters

My journey to Aquiares Estate reaffirmed that coffee is about more than the final product - the story behind the cup is equally important. More specifically, the people, their expertise, and the systems that support their work are what make exceptional coffee possible.

The new crop of these coffees has arrived in the US through Ally Coffee. Ally continues to support farmers like Diego Robelo by purchasing green coffee lots reliably, year after year - helping us keep our menu stacked with unique, traceable, and sustainably produced coffees.

As we launch these offerings from Aquiares Estate, we invite you to be part of this story. These coffees connect you to the mountains of Turrialba and the hands that nurtured them from seed to cup.