The first time we encountered this very limited production of Costa Rican Laurina. The red honey process unfolds layers of complexity. A unique coffee that we have exclusively found through our friend Diego Robelo from Aquiares Estate (from the infamous number /023 “El Churro”)

“We obtained the seeds of Laurina from CATIE, a university here in our Turrialba region that has the most valuable exotic coffee collection in Central America. I remember we did a tour around it and where sucking on cherries to see which ones had the most sugars and tasted better, thats how we “found” laurina. We also brought back SL34, Geisha, Wush Wush, and some crazy crosses like Laurina-Maragohipe and Laurina-Moka.”
– Diego Robelo

The farm is nestled between the Aquiares and Turrialba Rivers indeed “Aquiares” means “land between rivers” in Costa Rica’s Huetar indigenous language. The region where the farm is located used to be the center for this pre-Columbian civilization and occasionally old artifacts are found among the coffee trees. In fact Guayabo National Monument Costa Rica´s most important indigenous settlement is just 5 km (3.1 miles) away. The land of Aquiares is blessed with infinite sources of clean water and even provides drinking water to three communities down stream.

Aquiares one of Costa Rica’s largest and most historic coffee farms sits high on the fertile slopes of Turrialba Volcano. Producing coffee continuously for over a century the farm has developed an enduring model for growing high-quality Arabica coffee protecting a stunning natural setting and supporting a thriving local community of 1800 people. Established by British farmers in 1890 Aquiares was one of the first estates to produce and export Costa Rican coffee. Since 1971 three owner families have worked together with the farm´s staff and community to implement a modern model of sustainable agriculture.

Processing Details:
De-pulped in traditional ”chancador”
Red Honey Process – No mucilage detached
Sun-drying: 2 days pre-drying, ceramic floor 8 days African raised bed, 28ºC – 40ºC range
Final mechanical drying in Guardiola, 1 day

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Name: A Matter of Concrete - Laurina², Diego Robelo, Costa Rica 100g
Brand: A Matter of Concrete
SKU: 20806
Price: 14.00 GBP
Availability: InStock

A Matter of Concrete

A Matter of Concrete was founded by barista, roaster, and entrepreneur Rob Clarijs in 2021. AMOC are based in one of the old warehouses of the Van Nelle Factory in Rotterdam, which was once the largest coffee roastery in the Netherlands. The factory was built in the New Objective style in the 1920’s, being one of the first buildings ever where concrete was the main material. It is now a listed UNESCO World Heritage monument. After roasting for 65 years, in 1995 the last bean was roasted and production of the Van Nelle brand moved elsewhere. AMOC began production 26 years later, in 2021.

AMOC are committed to operating sustainably, and use a state-of-the-art Loring S35 Kestrel – one of the most energy efficient coffee roasters around. Their energy supplier has Gold Standard certification, meaning CO2 neutral gas and only electricity from renewable sources. There’s a Sovda colour sorter to sort the coffee beans to perfection. A space designated for quality control. A tasting room. And there are dozens of ideas the future may bring.

Rob’s interest in coffee was piqued in 2012 during a visit to Copenhagen. He began to roast coffee in 2013, and started numerous brands and companies from 2015. In 2019 he won the Coffee Masters competition in London. Throughout this journey, it was always his dream to set up his own roastery, and so, A Matter of Concrete was born.

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