The region line on the bag of No. 8 Consent says Alajuela, Costa Rica. It tells you where the coffee grew: a mountainous province in the central highlands of Costa Rica, at 1,300 to 1,445 m (about 4,265 to 4,740 ft). It does not name a single farm, and it does not say the cup will taste like everything from the province. What it gives you is a place and an altitude, and both help you guess how to brew it.
What does Alajuela on the label actually tell you?
A region line on a bag is a promise of a place, not of a flavor. Alajuela is one of Costa Rica's seven provinces, in the central part of the country, northwest of San José. Parts of it sit high in the mountains. That matches the altitude our roaster, Temecula Coffee Roasters, prints on the bag.
The rest of the label fills in the picture. We read it like this:
| Label line | What it says |
|---|---|
| Region | Alajuela, Costa Rica |
| Altitude | 1,300 to 1,445 m |
| Process | Eco-pulped, sun dried |
| Varietal | Caturra, Catuai |
| Roast | Medium |
| Notes | Sweet apple, raisin, honey |
What does 1,300 to 1,445 m mean for the cup?
In general, coffee grown higher up ripens more slowly, and that tends to give a more defined, sweeter and brighter cup. It is a general tendency in the trade and not a measurement of this lot, so we use it only as a reason the label notes make sense. The notes on the bag are sweet apple, raisin and honey. Apple is the lighter, brighter part, and raisin and honey are the softer, sweeter part.
The range is narrow, about 145 m from the lowest to the highest point. Compare that with No. 1 Common Sense (1,300 to 1,500 m) or No. 10 Folklore (1,100 to 1,700 m). A tighter range is a detail worth knowing, but we do not claim it makes the cup better.
What do eco-pulped and sun dried mean?
Pulped means the cherry skin is removed before drying. Eco-pulped is the term the roaster uses for this lot, and the label does not spell out the method. Sun dried means the beans are dried in the sun and not by a machine. We do not have lot-level detail beyond the two words on the label, so we will not say more about how the drying was done. If you want to compare it with another origin processed the same way, our post on Brazilian vs Costa Rican coffee puts No. 8 Consent next to a pulped natural Brazilian.
How should you brew it?
The roaster recommends drip or pour-over at 60 g of coffee per litre, and describes the cup as clean and sweet with nothing in it to push back against. That is a good reason to start with a simple recipe and taste it before you change anything.
- Weigh 20 g of coffee per 330 g of water for one mug, or use about 2 level tablespoons per 6 oz.
- Grind medium for drip, medium-fine for pour-over.
- Use water just off the boil, about 200 to 205°F (93 to 96°C).
- Taste it. Sour or thin, grind finer. Harsh or dry, grind coarser.
The full set of recipes, including iced, is in the No. 8 Consent brewing guide and the iced flash brew recipe.
Our pick
No. 8 Consent
Alajuela, Costa Rica · 1,300 to 1,445 m · Eco-pulped, sun dried · Caturra, Catuai · Medium
Sweet apple, raisin and honey, clean enough to serve to someone who says they do not like black coffee.
For what to expect in the cup, read what No. 8 Consent tastes like. To see how a label compares with an unnamed bag, see our Costa Rican coffee vs a supermarket bag. You can also browse all ten coffees, or put it on a subscription, which is 11% off with skip or cancel in one click.
Who is this coffee for?
The roaster describes No. 8 Consent as the one to serve someone who says they do not like black coffee. That is a useful hint about the cup. The notes lean sweet, so it can work for people who usually add sugar. We would not call it a replacement for milk drinks, and we have not tested it as espresso, so we will not say how it behaves there. For a first bag in a household that argues about coffee, a clean, sweet medium roast is a safe place to start.
It is also one of ten coffees at the same price, $28 for 12 oz, with free US shipping. A reader can pick on taste alone. If you want a heavier, cocoa-leaning cup instead, No. 6 Hegemony from Brazil is the one to look at.
What do we not know about the region?
The label does not name a farm, a town or a harvest date, and we do not make those up. The roaster lists the region, altitude, process, varietal, roast and notes, and that is the full set of facts we stand behind. If you want to know more, the FAQ covers how we source and roast on demand.
Questions people ask
Where is Alajuela in Costa Rica?
Alajuela is a province in the central highlands of Costa Rica, northwest of the capital, San José. It is a mountainous area, which fits the altitude printed on the bag: 1,300 to 1,445 m.
What does Alajuela coffee taste like?
We can only speak for ours. No. 8 Consent is a medium roast with notes of sweet apple, raisin and honey. We do not generalize to every coffee from the province.
How should I brew coffee from Costa Rica?
For No. 8 Consent, the roaster suggests drip or pour-over at 60 g per litre. That is about 2 level tablespoons per 6 oz cup. Taste it, and change the grind one step at a time.
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