There is nowhere like Costa Rica when it comes to coffee cooperatives and Cooperativa de Caficultores de Dota R.L (CoopeDota), which was established in 1960, is one of the finest.
It starts with an unmatched commitment to the environment. CoopeDota has a first of its kind certified carbon-neutral mill, which features hydro-powered energy consumption, water efficient eco-pulpers (also called a demucilager), and mechanical coffee dryers fueled by coffee parchment. Nearly 900 producer-members living throughout the canton of Dota within the province of San Jose, Costa Rica focus their attention on farm management throughout the year and then deliver their cherry to the CoopeDota mill during the harvest where traceability and quality control are second to none. This particular lot of cherries come from a group of ten farms above 1800 masl in the micro-region called el Vapor, named after the plumes of water vapor produced when the warm air coming from a local sawmill collided with the cool mountain air. This natural process, highlighs CoopeDota’s commitment to reduce water use and expertise in precise drying protocols. CoopeDota has an equally intricate model of income diversification with a profitable agriculture supply store and tourism department dedicated to showing off coffee farms to visitors. They also roast their own coffee and operate three cafes and a cupper/barista training center. Their commitment to the environment also extends to the community of Santa Maria de Dota where the cooperative manages trash pickup for the entire town.
Aillio Bullet R1 IBTS Analysis by Evan Gilman
Unless otherwise noted, we use both the roast.world site and Artisan software to document our roasts on the Bullet. You can find our roast documentation below, by searching on roast.world, or by clicking on the Artisan links below.
This incredibly expressive yet consistent coffee graces our menus again. With huge berry sweetness, and an incredibly flexible flavor profile that ranges from milk chocolate and cherry liqueur to bright raspberry and hibiscus, this is every natural coffee lover’s friend. I’ve even come to think of it as exemplary of Costa Rica naturals, something that would sound ridiculous 10 years ago.
I wanted to take this one fast and hot, just to see what I could do with the flavor profile. In the past, I've enjoyed stretching out Maillard on this coffee to get a milk chocolatey sweetness and deep berry notes. With this roast I wanted to lean into the zippy and lively side of this coffee. I started off with a charge temperature of 464F, P9 power, and F3 fan right out of the gate. I did lower to P8 at peak rate of change of around 41F/min, but kept the heat on even after marking yellowing, choosing instead to just add more airflow. I kept ramping down, first to P7 and then to P6 after First Crack, but the true driver of this roast was the airflow, which reached F6 a little after Crack, something I usually avoid.
This was a fast one! I hit Crack at 6:32, and spent about 1:20 in post-Crack development only to finish this roast at 402F just 10 seconds short of 8 minutes. Generally I like to get to 8 minutes to fall within the SCA protocols, but I’m glad I didn’t in this case.
The cup was super bright, with fresh strawberry notes, key lime acidity, and a hibiscus tartness that lingered well after the coffee left my mouth. In the background, I could see that a little more development would have given me that cherry cordial chocolate flavor, without being boozy at all. This is a phenomenal coffee, with a little more of the zippy berry than the cooked fruit flavors some might expect.
I’d suggest this coffee as filter drip, but for the brave an espresso might be just the thing to wake you right up! Here’s to CoopeDota, and another excellently consistent delivery, years in the making.
