Costa Rican coffee beans: our Alajuela bag

No. 8 Consent is a Costa Rican coffee from Alajuela, eco-pulped and sun dried, with sweet apple, raisin and honey notes on the label. It suits anyone who wants a clean, sweet cup, including people who say they do not like black coffee, and it ships free in the US in a 12 oz bag for $28, whole bean or ground.

What is on the bag?

Everything here comes from the label. The roaster is Temecula Coffee Roasters in Temecula, California, and the ingredients are coffee and nothing else.

Where does it grow, and how is it made?

Alajuela is a province in Costa Rica. The label gives the altitude as 1,300 to 1,445 m and the varietals as Caturra and Catuai. Eco-pulped is a low-water way of removing the fruit skin before the beans are dried, and the label says the beans are sun dried. The roast is medium. We do not name a farm or give grades or scores, because the label does not.

Who is this Costa Rican coffee for?

It is for the person who wants a cup that is easy to like. The roaster says it is best for serving to someone who says they do not like black coffee, and describes it as clean and sweet, with nothing in it to push back against. If you want something loud, with sharp citrus, a different bag will suit you better, and No. 4 Conjuncture is where we would send you. If you want chocolate, look at No. 6 Hegemony.

What does it taste like?

The label lists three notes: sweet apple, raisin and honey. Read them as a gentle fruit sweetness and not a sharp one. Apple gives it a crisp, fresh side. Raisin is a darker, dried-fruit sweetness. Honey rounds it out. For a cup-by-cup tasting, see what No. 8 Consent tastes like.

How does it compare with two other coffees?

These are the two we would hold up next to it. All three are $28 for 12 oz and ship free in the US.

Choose Consent for sweet fruit, Praxis for chocolate with a brighter edge, and Folklore for a mild, round cup. If you are deciding between the first two, we put them side by side in a drip machine in our Guatemalan vs Costa Rican comparison.

How do you brew it?

The label says drip or pour-over at 60 g per litre. That is 12 level tablespoons, or 6 scoops, for every 34 oz of water. For a single 8 oz cup, about 14 to 15 g, which is 3 tablespoons. We keep the full recipes, with water temperature and timing, in the No. 8 Consent brewing guide, and there is an iced flash brew recipe for warm days. For the measuring math behind any pot, use the How much coffee per cup page.

Whole bean or ground?

Either one. Whole bean gives you the most control. If you do not own a grinder, order it ground and tell us the brewer you use. The trade-offs are in whole bean vs ground coffee.

Is it a good first Costa Rican coffee to try?

If you have not bought a Costa Rican coffee before, this is a simple place to start, because the label is plain about what it is: one origin, one process, a medium roast and three clear notes. There is no blend to decode. Brew it the way the roaster suggests, taste it black first, and then add milk if you like. If the cup is sweeter than you expected, that is the honey and raisin on the label doing their job.

How far does a 12 oz bag go?

A bag is about 340 g. At 60 g per litre, it makes about 5.7 litres of coffee, around 190 oz. At 15 g per 8 oz cup, that is about 22 cups, or roughly three weeks at one cup a day.

Is there a subscription?

Yes. The subscription is 11% off, skip or cancel in one click. See all ten coffees if you want to compare before you commit.

What about shipping?

Every order ships free in the US, and the FAQ covers delivery and how roasted-on-demand works.

If you want one sweet, easy bag, this is it.