Costa Rica Esperanza

Imported from Barcelona — we find these beans drink best 2–3 weeks after the roast date

A honey-processed Costa Rican for sweet espresso

Costa Rica Esperanza is a honey-processed single origin from the Aquiares farm in Costa Rica, grown between 1,200 and 1,400 metres above sea level and picked in the 2025 harvest. This is the espresso-line lot from Nomad. Pull it as a shot, or run it through a moka pot when you want that sweetness concentrated.

Tasting Notes

Cocoa Powder · Figs · California Walnuts
Nomad describes a very sweet aroma led by cocoa powder and milk chocolate, with hints of figs and loquats, and a nuttiness of hazelnut and walnut on the palate. The body is dense and syrupy, and the acidity is very mild.

Coffee Details

About This Coffee

Aquiares sits at 1,400 metres on the Turrialba volcano's slopes and is the largest single-block coffee plantation in Costa Rica. Waterways run through the estate, linking the Turrialba and Aquiares rivers. The farm belongs to Diego Robelo's family.

This is Nomad's ninth consecutive year working with Aquiares and their seventh dealing directly with Diego. They agree the price with him so that the commission which would otherwise go to a middleman stays with the farm instead. The coffee travels by direct container shipment to Barcelona.

Esperanza is a cross of Sarchimor T5296 and Ethiopian 25. This lot was honey processed: the cherries were sorted by density in water, destemmed, then dried in the sun for two days on ceramic floors and eight more days on raised beds. A final day in a Guardiola, dried mechanically, standardises the batch.

How to Brew

Our house starting point — these are our own figures, not Nomad's.

Start at 18g in and 36g out, then taste. If the shot runs sharp or thin, grind finer or stretch the time a little; if it tastes dull or drying, coarsen up. Once you have a baseline, pulling longer to 40g out is worth a try. We find it holds up in milk too.

How Much Coffee Is in a Bag?

A 250g bag gives you roughly 14 double espressos at an 18g dose — around two weeks of a shot a day. Buy it whole bean and grind per shot if you can; espresso loses its sweetness fastest once ground.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this better for espresso or filter?
Espresso. This is the espresso-line lot from Nomad. It will also work well in a moka pot or any pressure-based brewer.

What does it taste like?
Sweet and chocolate-driven. Nomad lists cocoa powder, figs and California walnuts, and describes a very sweet aroma of cocoa powder and milk chocolate with hints of figs and loquats, over a dense, syrupy body and very mild acidity.

How fresh is the coffee?
Nomad roast this coffee in Barcelona and we ship on arrival in Malaysia. In our experience the beans are drinking at their best around 2–3 weeks past the roast date.

What does honey processed mean?
It sits between washed and natural. The skin of the cherry is removed but some of the sticky sugary layer underneath — the mucilage, or honey — is left on the bean while it dries. That extra sugar in contact with the seed usually builds more sweetness and body than a washed coffee, without the heavy fruit of a full natural.

New to specialty coffee and not sure where to start? Try the Taster Box. Brewing for a team or a cafe? See our Office & Bulk Coffee. Free shipping within Peninsular Malaysia on orders over RM80 (RM150 for East Malaysia).