Description
Merchant Notes: Smooth black tea like body carries nippy grapefruit and blackberry
acidity through to a long plum candy and malt finish.
Country / region: Costa Rica / Central – West Valley
Process: Natural
Altitude: 1350 – 1820m
Background
Don Sabino Premium Coffee is a long standing family project rooted in San Luis in the Central West-Valley highlands of Costa Rica, where five generations have cultivated coffee since 1919. Today the farm and micromill are guided by producer Steven Vargas, who helped shift the family’s focus toward specialty coffee and expanded the operation with new land, new varietals, and a modern processing approach. The estate now covers 93
hectares across the Central and West Valley regions, growing coffee between 1,350 and 1,820 MASL in fertile volcanic soils influenced by the nearby Poás Volcano.
The farm maintains an unusually broad collection of varieties ranging from Catuai, Caturra, Villa Sarchi, Geisha, and SL28 to Centroamericano, Catigua, H1, Mokka, Pacamara, Typica, and Obata. Supported by a microclimate of bright mornings and cool, mist-covered afternoons. Steven’s farms feature gentle terrain that allows careful separation and management of each cultivar. At the Don Sabino Micromill, processing is designed around resource efficiency and quality control.
Coffees are harvested selectively, dried naturally or as honeys on raised beds, rested in parchment, and then sorted by density, screen size, and colour. Hygiene standards and the removal of underripe cherries safeguard consistency from the field to the final lot. Sustainability plays a central role in Don Sabino’s approach.
The farm practices regenerative agriculture, intercropping, and forest-friendly farming, and holds Costa Rica’s Blue Flag certification while working toward RegenAgri’s carbon free standard. The family also invests in its local community through environmental education, support for churches and schools, and regular clean up efforts. Through a blend of heritage, innovation, and environmental care, Don Sabino produces coffees known for clarity, complexity, and a strong sense of place.
