Café Chorreado: the secret of Costa Rica

The country of rich coasts, apart from good coffee, also has an imaginative device.

Each country of the world has its own coffee culture, which is often reflected in its history, everyday life and gastronomic tradition. By observing the way a people enjoys their coffee, we can understand more about their temperament and personality. Costa Rica, the "Land of the Rich Coasts" could not be an exception.

Costa Rica is a small country in Central America, bordering Panama and Nicaragua and bordered by the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The import of coffee trees from Ethiopia in the 18th century made coffee the main pillar of the country's national economy, while today coffee from Costa Rica is constantly gaining ground among the "wanted" coffee lovers, because of their unique quality and unique their organoleptic characteristics.

With such a rich coffee tradition, it would be strange for Costa Rica not to have developed its own, unique recipes: Costa Rica's "national" coffee is none other than Café Chorreado!



Café Chorreado: Costa Rica's national coffee recipe

Café Chorreado takes its name from the extraction device widely used in Costa Rica, called chorreador, a word that in Spanish corresponds to the word dripper, which also indicates the way in which extraction is done.

The Chorreador is made of wood, which holds a cotton filter, which looks more like an elongated pocket. The mouth of the filter is held by a metal ring, in which the handle is usually located. At the bottom of the machine, there is space for placing the cup, in which the extracted coffee is collected. The machine is very simple to conceive and manufacture, and produces filter coffee with a method similar to that found in devices such as drippers or glass pouring machines.

The hot water is poured carefully and slowly into the cotton filter, and the extracted coffee is concentrated in the cup at the bottom. The process gives the coffee maker complete control of the extraction (time, temperature, grinding, etc.), while due to its nature it produces a "pure" coffee with rich aroma and toned natural organoleptic characteristics - something that matches the characteristics of Costa coffees Rica.

The secrets of Chorreador

The locals love this simple device and claim that the success of the extraction is due to the filter. In the past, filters were sewn by hand by housewives, but today they are also commercially available. However, there are many who choose to get their filters (bolsita, meaning "bags" in Spanish) from specialized craftsmen, arguing that the right quality can only be achieved through personal work.

The filters are washed with water and dried after each use, while once a month they are soaked in salt water and rinsed well, in order to be preserved. All Costa Ricans are adamant: they never wash their bolsita with soap, as the taste of coffee is ruined. The filters have a relatively limited lifespan, reaching 5-6 months.

Still, Costa Ricans avoid using too much hot water, as they claim that it "burns" the delicate aromas of local coffee and does not let them stand out - which is not far from reality, as dripper extraction requires water at 90-92 degrees Celsius and medium to coarse grinding to perform satisfactorily.



Can we prepare Café Chorreado at home?

In our country, but also in Europe in general, it is extremely difficult to find a Chorreador, while even cloth filters are not common. Some specialty stores may have some already, but most of the time they are expensive for the average consumer.

However, using a glass pour over coffee maker with a metal filter and following the extraction tips, we can have a result very close to Café Chorreado. The metal filter does not produce the same effect as the canvas filter, however it is comparatively much closer to it than the usual paper filter. Of course, do not forget to use a coffee from Costa Rica, for an extra dose of authenticity.

Two tasty suggestions from Costa Rica for an authentic Café Chorreado

New York Monorigini Costa Rica 250g: Single origin, 100% Arabica liquid processed coffee from Costa Rica, guaranteed by Italian New York. The body is balanced, the aroma is strong and the taste is dominated by citrus notes with an idea of cocoa and spices. Ascending acidity is characteristic of the Costa Rican terroir.

Caffè Lab Costa Rica Tournon SHB 250g : Single-origin, 100% Arabica coffee processed coffee from Costa Rica, guaranteed by the Italian Caffe Lab, which specializes in single-variety coffees of rare origin. It comes from high altitude plantations and volcanic soil in the Tournon area and is characterized by fruity notes with aromas of apple and berry, while it balances deliciously between acidity and sweetness.

If you missed your travels, with a simple filter and a good coffee, you will be transported in a few minutes to the enchanting Costa Rica, in the heart of Central America.

photo: https://www.okrehome.com/