Costa Rica SL-28 Yellow Honey

This one’s all about that easy, toffee-like sweetness right up front. You’ll get some cooked fruit, a little raisin hanging in the background, and just enough bright, tart acidity to keep it from getting too heavy. It finishes kind of candy-corn sweet. Clean and super satisfying.

El Venado is a small, family-run setup in Grecia, out in Costa Rica’s West Valley. It’s run by brothers Alexander and Magali Delgado and their families, and they’ve really put in the work over the years planting a bunch of different varieties like SL-28, Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, all to keep quality high and the farms healthy long-term.

The farms are all right next to each other, split into smaller lots so they can make clear observations. Then the mill’s just a few miles away at their home, so once they pick the cherries, they can get them processed the same day. That speed makes a difference in quality and efficiency in having the mill on site.

They do a few different processing styles, but this one’s a Yellow Honey. That just means they leave some of the fruit (mucilage) on the seed while it dries, which is where you get that balance of nice sweetness, a little brightness, and a very approachable cup overall.

This lot is SL-28, grown between 1200–1900 meters, and harvested during Costa Rica’s main season, December through April. Just a really solid, well-put-together coffee from people who clearly care about what they’re doing.

Big Shoulders Coffee's Costa Rica SL-28 Yellow Honey showcases the West Valley region through a processed lot that balances sweetness with acidity. The yellow honey process—a semi-washed method that retains some fruit contact during drying—typically contributes to the rounded, confectionery character evident in this coffee's toffee-like sweetness and candy-corn notes. SL-28, a varietal with natural sweetness potential, appears well-suited to this approach. El Venado's high-altitude fruit (1200–1900 masl) arrives with brighter tart acidity alongside cooked fruit and raisin character, suggesting the processing has layered complexity rather than smoothing it away. Explore more about West Valley terroir and processing methods to contextualize this lot within Costa Rica's diverse coffee landscape.