• Perla Negra Costa Rica natural coffee, medium roast, retail bag
  • Perla Negra Costa Rica flavor card: honeydew melon, mandarin orange, pineapple
  • Perla Negra Costa Rica flavor card: honeydew melon, mandarin orange, pineapple
  • Torque Coffee 2lb bulk bag
  • Torque Coffee 5lb bulk bag
  • Torque Coffee xBloom pod packaging
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Perla Negra Plus - Francisca Cubillo, Costa Rica

Perla Negra Plus - Francisca Cubillo, Costa Rica

An exclusive Hybrid 17 micro-lot crafted entirely for Torque—just 8 bags of our favorite coffee from Francisca in over 15 years of partnership.

  • Medium
  • Fruit Dried (Natural)
  • Bright & Fruity
  • Tastes like: Honeydew Melon, Mandarin Orange, Pineapple
Size
$29.30 USD
$29.30 USD
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Shipping calculated at checkout.

In stock

Producer Equity: 20% of retail price = $5.85 /340g - $6.65 /lb

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Perla Negra Plus - Francisca Cubillo, Costa Rica

Perla Negra - Natural Process Single Varietal Microlot

Francisca and Oscar wanted to do a second special micro-micro lot just for us. They were really happy with the results of their hybrid cultivar testing program and one of those, the Hybrid 17 stood out as the sweetest. Francisca knew that we prize sweetness she took only the highest Brix content cherries from from her special reserve lot in their most important farm Las Lajas (where the whole operation gets its name) and then processed it using the famed Perla Negra natural process.

There is a very small amount of Hybrid 17 on Las Lajas and they made it all for Torque. They ended up with only 8 bags of this special micro-lot and we are so excited about this coffee! It's one of our favorite coffees we have had from Francisca and Las Lajas since we started working with them in 2009!

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Beneficio Las Lajas is one of Costa Rica’s most progressive, quality-driven coffee mills. Francisca Cubillo and Oscar Chacón are third-generation producers and among the first in the country to mill their own coffee. Certified organic, Las Lajas emphasizes environmentally responsible farming alongside rigorous quality standards. We have worked with Francisca since 2009; her processing innovations have reshaped specialty coffee practices in Costa Rica and internationally.


Las Lajas is located in Sabanilla de Alejela Costa Rica near the base of Poas Volcano. The west Central Valley is the location of some of the best coffee in Costa Rica. Francisca and Oscar Chacon are third generation coffee farmers since 1840. When Oascar’s father passed away he inherited 5 hectares at the age of 18. He and his mom kept the legacy alive. In 1997 Francisca and Oscar were married. Francisca attended University in Costa Rica for an agriculture degree in coffee. 

In 2009 a massive country-wide earthquake caused widespread power outages and destruction right at the peak of their coffee harvest. Francisca had a crazy idea to try and dry their coffee with the cherry intact since that is how they do it in parts of Africa where there isn't electricity and running water in the dry season. So they spread their coffee cherries out on patios, flat roofs and even hastily built camas africanas (african style raised beds) and dried their coffee slowly in the sun. The results were this crazy black dried cherry that they called Perla Negra. And it was amazingly delicious! And history was made in Costa Rica.

 

Learn More About This Coffee From Francisca Cubillo and Oscar Chacón

Perla Negra Costa Rica natural coffee, medium roast, retail bag

20% Remains At Origin: 20% of retail price = $5.85 /340g - $6.65 /lb

20% Remains At Origin = The portion of the retail price that remained in the country of origin.

Financial Transparency:

1. 20% Remains At Origin (lb): $6.65 green FOB
2. FOB to Our Roastery costs (lb): $1.58
3. Final Roasted Cost (lb): $9.46
4. Torque costs to roast, pack & ship coffee: $7.25 /lb
5. Final Torque Cost: $16.71 /lb

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Terms:
- 20% Remains At Origin = The portion of the retail price that remained in the country of origin
- FOB = Free On Board - the coffee is bagged, labeled, and ready to load for shipment. This is the point where all that money stays in origin
- EXW = coffee has left country of origin and available at a commercial coffee warehouse,
- All costs from FOB to EXW to our roastery
- Transport costs = the cost per pound to get the coffee from a central warehouse to our roastery
- Final Roasted Cost = All costs from FOB to EXW to our roasters, plus an average roast weight shrinkage percentage
- Torque Costs = All the other costs besides the raw roasted coffee to get it to the point where it’s ready to go including living wages for our staff.
- Final Torque Cost: = All of the above- per pound

Country Of Origin: Costa Rica

Partner Since: 2009

At Torque we believe in buying more coffees from fewer producers and fewer origins We go deep rather than wide. We focus our coffee sourcing to work with a smaller group of like minded coffee producers who share our vision for changing the world of coffee.

Preparation Style: Espresso and Filter

Our approach to both sourcing and roasting is that every coffee has to be good enough to stand on its own. No blenders, no base coffees, no filler. We take that same approach to roasting and preparation methods. All of our coffees are excellent in nearly every brew method from pour over to espresso.

That being said we have our preferences and so we label our coffees with Espresso, Filter or Omni as a quick way to guide you.

Subscription Type: Modernist and Espressoist

This coffee will be featured in one of these coffee subscriptions.

xBloom Recipe

CLICK HERE FOR THE XBLOOM STUDIO brew recipe: XBLOOM LINK

Parameters

Brew Parameters

Torque Coffee Brew Guide

Espresso Parameters

Espresso:
18-19g coffee in
40-42g liquid out
200-202F
29-32 seconds

Proportional Pricing

A minimum of 20% of this bag's retail price stayed in the country where the coffee was grown. Built into the price from the start, not sent back later. The higher the price, the more stays at origin. You don't have to trust us on it. The full math is public.

See The Math ->

Sustainability Info

We aim for carbon beautiful, not just carbon neutral. Coffee farming done right stores carbon and protects forests, so we'd rather support producers who farm that way than just offset our own footprint. The full picture is on our Carbon Beautiful page.

Read the Full Story ->

Torque Coffee Guide with flavor categories on a white background

Your Guide To Flavor

All of our coffees have notes grouping each coffee based on these four attributes. And each coffee card has sliders with the relative scale of each. Torque Compositions (our Drops) are designed to consistently deliver each quadrants flavor profile even as the coffees in the blend change.

  • Classic = More classic coffee flavors like chocolate, caramel & rounded fruits
  • Modern = More modern flavors like bright fruits, tropical and floral notes
  • Syrupy = More rounded, heavier body with bigger mouthfeel
  • Lively = More sparkling, poppy notes that dance on your tongue