Costa Rica Perla Negra

LIGHTER ROAST | Butterscotch | Cherry | Blackberry | Kiwi

The 2025 crop has arrived! We're lucky to source directly from this award-winning farm every year and Perla Negra is a perennial favorite and award winner. We've been buying Perla Negra from our friends at Las Lajas since Jay first traveled to meet Dona Francisca and her husband Oscar Chacon and visit their world renowned farm and micromill in 2017. Our roasts have previously rated Top 30 Coffees of the Year (Coffee Review). The word has gotten out about Las Lajas - but we're lucky to be a legacy buyer and secure some of their best lots every year. This is a fruit forward and floral coffee crafted for home pourovers & connoisseurs looking for an exceptional, naturally sweet & juicy cup.

Oscar Chacon's grandparents started what is now Las Lajas in 1948. Over time, Oscar and Francisca inherited the farms and therefore became coffee producers. In 2000, they started processing coffee themselves at the Las Lajas mill, largely focusing on yellow, red and black honey processed coffee. However, on February 8, 2008, the Cinchona earthquake struck and significantly impacted the area. After a week without drinking water or electricity, they realized they needed to figure out how to process their harvest since they were unable to produce washed or honey coffee. Eventually, they decided to process the coffee naturally, resulting in their now famous natural processed microlots.

So what is a Perla Negra?
The proprietary developed by the Chacóns is a signature natural coffee method created after the 2008 earthquake forced them to dry cherries without water or power. In this process, only the ripest, high-sugar cherries are harvested and dried whole (without pulping) on raised beds or patios. Unlike many naturals, the cherries are turned constantly throughout the day, ensuring even fermentation and preventing over-fermentation. After about 10 days of sun drying, they rest briefly in bags, then return to the beds to finish, with the entire process lasting 22–27 days. The result is a coffee with vibrant fruit-forward flavors, wine-like sweetness, and bright clarity, often showing notes of chocolate, cherry, berry, and citrus. Perla Negra remains one of Las Lajas’ most celebrated innovations.