With a mixture of wisdom and simplicity, Francisca Cubillo enlightens the minds of those who listen to her stories. In her day-to-day life, she lives dedicated to extracting from each coffee bean the best possible flavor and aroma.
She does not “invent” anything, she simply applies ancestral knowledge with modern techniques to create innovative milling processes, in which the special soils, climate and care enhance the coffee of Finca Las Lajas in the best possible way.
That’s how she came across with the “Perla Negra” (Black Pearl).
By the time of the earthquake in Cinchona in 2009, which left their entire region without power and water in the middle of the harvest, Francisca and her husband found themselves faced with a terrible disjunction: to lose the harvest until public services returned or to attempt something bold: to try in Costa Rica what African coffee communities without water and power services were doing.
Therefore, on the roofs and patios around their property, they put the coffee beans to dry in the sun, unwashed, for several days, praying that everything would work out.
A few weeks later, taking advantage of the visit to the country of a group of American baristas, Francisca invited them to try the coffee that stemmed from the experiment. The amazement of the baristas was immediate: the coffee had a delicious hint of “strawberries with cream”. And so, the “Perla Negra” was born.
The success of the Perla Negra inspired Francisca’s creativity and talent to produce some of the most impressive “honeys” or honey-processed coffees that coffee lovers can try. One of them, also produced on organic soils, is the one that Francisca prepares and reserves every year especially for ROBLESABANA.
A woman passionate about excellence, she produces and provides the green coffee beans to women passionate as well about her story, who make sure to honor and respect that specialty coffee, by giving it a unique and specific roast profile.
If you have not yet enjoyed our Roblesabana Finca Las Lajas Organic Specialty Coffee, you can get one HERE.
We are a microentreprise owned by Costa Rican women. Our delicious, specialty coffees are grown by women in Tarrazú, Poás, Naranjo and Sabanilla in Alajuela, Costa Rica.