Dylan Aguilera: Costa Rica • Yeast Fermentation • Victoria 04

Direct from farm to cup, this crop from Dylan Aguilera’s renowned farm in Costa Rica brings us an exciting, experimentally processed, new varietal, led by the next generation of farmers.

For over 60 years, the Aguilera family has been growing coffee on their flagship farm, Finca Matilde, in Costa Rica’s west valley. In the late 2000s, the family foresaw the shift in consumer demand away from commodity coffee and began investing in high-grade specialty coffee production. Now, led by Dylan Aguilera and his brothers, the family is globally recognized for their efforts, with consistent recognition in Cup of Excellence competitions, and Dylan himself earning the title of Costa Rican cup tasters champion. Expanding his family’s business, Dylan established Aguilera Coffee Traders in 2022 as a means to get better prices for his coffee and build stronger, more sustainable relationships with roasters. Currently, Dylan offers coffee only from his own family's farms; however, he has plans to expand this venture, offering more sustainable supply chain solutions for underrepresented farmers across Costa Rica. 

Known as ‘el grano de oro’ or ‘the golden bean’, coffee has been instrumental in shaping the culture and history of Costa Rica.  Finding its way to Costa Rican soil in the late 1700s, coffee became the country's top export by the mid-19th century, contributing massively to the development of the country’s economy. Continuing to modernise its coffee production through the 20th century, the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica (ICAFE) was established to regulate and promote the industry, as well as offering a central hub of knowledge and support to farmers. Also cementing the country’s stance on coffee quality, a law in 1989 banned the production of low-quality Robusta, allowing only Arabica to be grown and farmed.

It is through constant innovation that this lot has been born. This coffee is a newly developed variety known as Victoria 04, a hybrid unique to Costa Rica and cultivated by ICAFE. Dylan has chosen an experimental yeast fermentation process to enhance this coffee's fruity and syrupy profile. This process involves using select yeast strains to break down the cell structure of the bean during fermentation to have more control over the fermentation process, where usually wild microorganisms would take over. After harvest, the cherries are sorted to remove any that are defective or unripe. They are then transferred directly to sealed fermentation tanks where the yeast is added and the fermentation is closely monitored. After fermentation, the beans are washed and pulped, then mechanically dried until the ideal moisture content is reached.

Traceability: Dylan Aguilera < Finca Matilde < West Valley < Costa Rica

Process: Yeast Fermentation

Varietal: Victoria 04

Tasting Notes: Raspberry Sorbet, Blackberry, Dates