June Coffee of the Month: Costa Rica, Doga
Jun 15, 2025
A family-run farm owned by the Madrigal Vargas family, Doga Coffee is located in San Lorenzo and has become known for producing some of the best coffee in the Tarraz region.
Around 20 years ago, Kenneth and Cristian purchased Finca La Pacaya and began cultivating Catuai coffee, before Kenneth's son, Facundo, later joined the farm to oversee quality control, finding ways to enhance the quality of the beans. Cristian now focuses on farm care, Kenneth handles the production process in the micro-mill, Franciny, Kenneth’s wife, innovates fermentation processes, and Facundo manages quality control and export operations.
Coffee processing at Doga involves harvesting fully ripe cherries, which are then left to rest overnight at the micro-mill before being spread on African beds and drying patios the next morning. The drying process, which takes about 20 days depending on the weather, is manually monitored to ensure uniformity. Once dried to the optimal humidity level, the coffee is stored in sacks and GrainPro bags for about two months before being prepared for export.
Doga Coffee has also been recognised for its sustainability efforts, winning the Green Growth program by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Agency and the ICAFE's Green Innovation contest, which honours practices that reduce water use and eliminate coffee waste pollution.
Doga ensures 100% traceability from cultivation to export, with complete control over every stage of the process, from collection to storage and preparation for export. Besides coffee, the farm also grows bananas, guavas, and various fruit trees, providing shade and food for local wildlife. The farm's resilience and dedication to quality and sustainability continue to drive its success in producing premium Tarraz coffee for the world.
BREW GUIDES
ESPRESSO
1. Remove the portafilter from your machine and wipe clean, if needed.
2. Flush your group-head, ensuring the shower screen is free from any previous residue.
3. Dose 18.5g of your Costa Rica Doga into the basket.
4. Level the coffee within the basket, take your tamper and apply a firm amount of pressure, ensuring all the grounds lay flat and even.
5. Gently insert the portafilter back into the group-head, placing scales and cup underneath.
6. Start extraction.
7. When you have achieved a 35g yield of espresso, brewed between 30-35 seconds, stop the extraction.
8. Remove the cup, serve with silky steamed milk or enjoy black.
V60
1. Place filter paper into V60 and wet. Weigh out 18g coffee and grind to a setting on the coarser side of medium. Place coffee into filter paper and level. Tare scales and heat water to 96°C ideally.
2. Set a stopwatch and begin by pouring 40g of water onto the centre of the coffee, ensuring all grounds are saturated, stirring or swirling if required.
3. Wait until the timer reaches 30 seconds, allowing for the coffee to bloom, releasing gases and oils from the coffee. Then, pour in concentric circles around half a centimetre away from the edge of the coffee until you reach 110g of water. Slowly raise the brewer, swirl coffee and tap it onto the top of the server to ensure grounds are flat, therefore ensuring an even extraction.
4. Allow for the coffee to steep and wait until the timer reaches 1.30. Once again, pouring in concentric circles, raise coffee to 180g. Swirl and tap.
5. Wait until the timer reaches 2.30, pour up to 240g, swirl and tap the brewer.
7. Allow for all the water to draw down through the coffee, aiming for an extraction time of between 3-3.30.
8. Let the coffee sit for a minute before swirling and pouring the coffee into your cup from a height to aerate the coffee.
9. Enjoy a light bodied sweet filter coffee.
AEROPRESS
1. Weigh out 18g of your Costa Rica Doga and grind to a fine-medium setting.
2. Fill your kettle and start to boil. Heat water to 93°C ideally. While waiting, place the filter in the cap and, once the kettle has boiled, wet the filter to remove any paper taste.
3. Add your 18g of Costa Rica into the Aeropress before leveling the grinds and placing it on scales. Tare scales.
4. Start timer and pour 50g of water onto the centre of the coffee, before stirring to ensure all grounds are saturated. Leave the coffee to bloom for 45 seconds, to allow the release of gases and oils from the coffee.
5. At 45 seconds, pour up to Number 3, which should weigh out to 225g and then leave to brew for two minutes.
6. At the 2.45 mark, add the plunger before slowly pressing down on the plunger with a consistent force, until you’ve pushed out all the water. This should take around 30 seconds.
7. Remove the Aeropress and discard any used grinds. Then grab your favourite mug and enjoy a lovely cup of Costa Rica Doga.
SHOP COSTA RICA, DOGA
June Coffee of the Month: Costa Rica, Doga
