Metropolis's La Perla Negra, a Costa Rican Natural

by **another_jim** on Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:33 pm

I've been pulling and brewing his coffee over the past ten days; and it is definitely worth a shout out as a great Central DP pushing at 90 points

It's roasted light and brews great, but is challenging for espresso, and works best with an ultra-fine grind and very low dose.

The flavor is classic cup, toasted nuts, apples and cherries. But the dry processing gives it a lush baked banana base and mouthfeel, along with a floral redolence, that makes it beguiling.

If you enjoy classic central American coffees, and want a great example of how they come out when dry processes, this is one to try.

by **farmroast** on Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:48 pm

Is this somewhat similar to the perennial Brumas del Zurqui pulp natural/screen dried?

edit: Jim, I had remembered seeing the Zurqui listed on coffeecuppers but now see Bob cupped it.
the '06 won the crop of gold, I liked it and stashed a bunch and Bob cupped the '08, I found some of this years but haven't roasted it yet. Nice fall/early winter cup

by **another_jim** on Wed Sep 28, 2011 7:17 pm

Ed, you got me; I don't think I ever had it. This one is a full natural, rather than a pulp. The pulps have been getting better, but they still seem a little flat to my taste.

The Perla Negra is interesting in that it is a non-premium priced coffee, while still ultra clean, something that hasn't always been the case with regularly priced Centrals. While I have some oddly fond memories of the early peanut butter moonshine naturals that Erna Knudsen brought in, on the whole I like these clean versions more

by **sutono** on Thu Oct 13, 2011 11:40 am

Thanks for the shout out, Jim. We are somewhat infatuated with clean naturals. I cupped many full naturals in Brazil on a recent trip that were carefully sorted and screen dried. I could not believe the clarity in these cups. One in particular was grown in the shade of a persian lime tree - the fruit picked up the lime, and the cup was unbelievable.

I'm guessing that the bias against naturals is often a bias against poorly sorted or coffees dried on dirty patios - absolutely valid. As we learn more about what affects cup quality in processing, we will get better and better coffee so long as there is a market for it.


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