Preparation suggestion: can be prepared with any tea maker or French press.
Recipe: soak 18 grams of Sonora Cascara in 3 dl of 92-96 degrees Celsius water for 4 minutes.
About the farm
Hacienda Sonora sits at the foot of the Poas Volcano.The farm operates on 100% renewable energygenerated by a hydroelectric generator thattransforms rushing rivers into energy. The energyfuels the wet and dry mills and provides freeelectricity for everyone living and working on thefarm. On the whole, Hacienda Sonora has shared itssuccess generously, paying fair wages to all workersand bolstering the local community.
Cultivation
The farm and its mill cover approximately 100hectares. Of those, 45 hectares are devote to shadedcoffee lands. Coffee plants are surrounded by exotictrees and other native vegetation. This biodiversitypromote soil health and maintains the nutrient-richsoil that helps grow dense, delicious cherry. The remaining land has wild forest reserve growing on 35 hectares and 20 hectares for sugarcane, which has been grown on Hacienda Sonora’s land for over 150years.
Harvest & post-harvest
Hacienda Sonora has its own micromill, which enablesthe farm to keep lots separated by variety and createunique microlots. The mill is centrally located, right next to a traditional sugarcane mill that’s beenpreserved intact for over 150 years.
This cascara has been cultivated on the farm and the cherries went through natural coffee process. After selective handpicking, ripe cherry is washed in clean water and then laid to dry on either the farm’s raised beds or itspatio where it is turned frequently to promote evendrying. Once dry, Natural coffees are stored for 2months before being hulled at the farm’s dry mill. The dried husks are removed and preserved as cascara.
