Research Experience: Volcán Azul
An immersive tasting box showcasing POMA’s most important cultivation research, conducted in collaboration with our partner farm Volcán Azul on the fertile slopes of Costa Rica’s Poás Volcano.
This release brings together coffees from controlled, real-world field trials exploring how intentional agronomy shapes plant physiology, yield, and cup quality. Through side-by-side comparisons of control and treated coffees, the Volcán Azul Research Experience allows you to taste the direct impact of specific growing systems, including Pruning, Induced Shade, and Thinning.
All coffees are Washed and roasted to highlight clarity, structure, and contrast. Brew them side by side and experience how cultivation decisions translate into the cup.
What’s in the box:
Pruning Experiment
60g - Washed Caturra
60g - Washed Caturra Pruned
Induced Shaded Experiment
60g - Washed Rume Sudan
60g - Washed Rume Sudan Shaded
Thinning Experiment
60g - Washed H1
60g - Washed H1 Thinned
Pamphlet with trial results and explanation
- Coffee will be roasted on Jan 20th and ship following business day
- DHL Express within 1-3 days from Denmark for most countries
Pruning Experiment
Balancing vegetative growth and reproduction is key to coffee plant health, productivity, and cup quality. Pruning is a critical tool for managing this balance by shaping the canopy, regulating fruit load, and improving light and airflow.
In this trial, the POMA Pruning System® was applied to the Caturra variety, pruning each fruiting branch to a precise length based on tree density. This enables controlled fruit load, improved nutrient transport, and stimulates new flowering shoots for the following year.
The result is more uniform trees, greater harvest efficiency, and increased vascular activity—translating into higher productivity and improved cup quality.
Induced Shading Experiment
Coffee trees need sunlight to grow, but excessive heat and exposure can cause stress and reduce productivity. Achieving the right balance between light and shade is essential—and difficult to manage with traditional shade trees.
In this trial, we tested the POMA Induced Shade System® by applying a kaolin clay spray to the Rume Sudan variety, allowing precise control of shade levels directly on the leaves. Trees were treated twice and compared to fully sun-exposed controls.
The result is increased vigour, a longer ripening period, higher seed density, and improved productivity and cup quality.
Thinning Experiment
Thinning is a crop load management technique widely used in modern fruit production to improve yield consistency and fruit quality by removing excess fruit. While not yet common in coffee cultivation, thinning shows strong potential to improve crop stability, prevent overbearing, and support long-term plant health.In this trial, we explore how thinning affects coffee quality and yield. Read the full experiment and findings in our journal.
Volcán Azul.
Volcán Azul, managed by Alejo Castro Kahle, is situated on the fertile volcanic slopes of the Poás Volcano in Central Valley at altitudes ranging from 1400-1900 masl., complemented by a state-of-the-art mill. Alejo and his team are dedicated to maintaining and improving coffee quality, honouring their family’s long legacy of outstanding coffee for several generations.
Their willingness to innovate and develop has been essential to our collaborative efforts, which has seen us initiate a lot of experimentation on their farm for the coming years, which we are excited to share with all of you.
Washed Process
The washed processing at Volcán Azul represents the farm’s most standard method, meticulously executed to produce exceptionally clean and vibrant coffees. Ripe cherries are carefully depulped to remove the outer skin, followed by fermentation to loosen the sticky mucilage layer. The mucilage is then fully removed through mechanical washing, ensuring no residual sugars remain that could introduce fruitier or fermented notes. After washing, the parchment-covered beans are dried slowly—often starting on patios and finished in mechanical dryers for precise control—resulting in a bright, elegant cup that highlights the inherent qualities of the variety and the fertile volcanic terroir, with pronounced clarity, lively acidity, and nuanced flavors like berries, stone fruits, and florals. This classic approach allows varieties such as SL28 to express their Kenyan-like characteristics while showcasing the pristine purity that Volcán Azul is renowned for.
Technical Data
Producer: Alejo Castro Kahle
Origin: Volcán Azul, Costa Rica
Altitude: 1800masl
Varietal: Caturra, Rume Sudan, H1
Process: Washed
Harvest: Mar 2025
PREPARE BREWING WATER
We have teamed up with Apax Lab to develop a specific water profile that enhances the flavor of our coffees to their taste fullest potential. This water blend is carefully crafted to balance and elevate all the unique qualities of the coffee beans.
To prepare, simply add 3.0g of the mineral concentrate to every 1 litre of high-quality demineralised or distilled water
Then give it a good shake to dissolve any remaining crystallized solids.
This curated mixture will result in a mineral concentration of 90 parts per million (ppm) of perfectly balanced mineral compositions, optimising the brewing conditions for an exceptional coffee experience.
BREWING GUIDE
We recommend resting our coffees for at least 10 days after the roast date, and we often find our coffee the most expressive within 3 weeks after roast date.
Our recipe is using 13 grams of coffees to 200 grams of water. A coarse grind size approximately 900 micron. Brewing temperature 92C. Our brewing pattern is four 50g circle pour every 40 seconds. Total brew time is approximately 3 minutes.
0:00 50g circle pour
0:40 50g circle pour
1:20 50g circle pour
2:00 50g circle pour
Please enjoy!!
