Effects of slope exposure, altitude and yield on coffee quality in two altitude terroirs of Costa Rica, Orosi and Santa Maria de Dota

This study assessed the effects of slope exposure, altitude and yield on several cup quality criteria of coffees from two altitude terroirs of Costa Rica, Orosi (between 1020 and 1250 m above sea level) and Santa Maria de Dota (between 1550 and 1780m above sea level). East-facing slopes gave beverages with generally superior attributes, probably owing to better exposure to morning sunlight. These beverages were mainly more acid: at Orosi an acidity score of 2.73 out of S was obtained (3.64 for Santa Maria de Dota) for eastern exposures, as opposed to 2.36 on average (3.28 for Santa Maria de Dota) for other exposures. In addition, a positive relation was found between altitude and taster preferences in both terroirs. A negative relation was also found between yield and beverage acidity at Santa Maria de Dota, where some coffee trees produced up to 13 kg of coffee cherry. Coffees from Orosi were characterised by a floral flavour, which depended on slope exposure, whilst coffees from Santa Maria de Dota displayed a chocolate taste, which was more marked at high altitude. In both terroirs the caffeine, trigonelline, fat, sucrose and chlorogenic acid contents were not well correlated with the sensory characteristics. (c) 2005 Society of Chemical Industry.