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Scenery Coffee

Costa Rica - Don Senel "Supre Madre" Gesha

Costa Rica - Don Senel "Supre Madre" Gesha

Senel Campos Valverde is a third-generation coffee farmer who operates Don Senel Micromill with his son Allan, at the family farm (Finca La Toboba).

The farm has been in continuous family operation since his father planted the first trees in 1968 on land inherited from Senel's grandmother, a true multigenerational producing family. A classic example of the "micromill revolution" - Don Senel is intensely quality focused, growing a range of cultivars with exceptional processing. We're finding this Gesha to be super sweet, tropical and stonefruit-y with soft florals throughout.

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Size
We've made an update to our "Roast Style" section on the labels to better differentiate Light & Lightest roasts. For the next two weeks, there may be some crossover in the old & new designs
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Brew Guide:

Best Brewed with: Filter

Lightest Roaster Influence: We're tweaking this as we go chasing down the lightest yet still cleanly developed version of this coffee, as it's got oodles of natural body. Gesha naturally wants a faster roast, but we're playing around with the development phase - the slow drying process has kept a lot of density intact in this coffee Best Rested: 3-4 weeks

Filter: 64g/L & 96°C, with rest we like to move down to 62g/L & 92°C

Espresso: Turbo - 18g/48g 22-26s. Can work as trad spro with rest

We’re tasting: Sweet sticky aromatics of both tinned peaches and mandarin. In the cup it's peachy - a syrupy sweetness overall, with raspberry tones. As it cools there's an elevated tropical note like rambutan (think grape, lychee & rose). From hot to cool the cup is suffused with a soft blossom florality - never dominant, but present throughout.

Traceability

Country of Origin:
 Costa Rica
Region:
 San Jerónimo de San Pedro, Brunca
Producer:
 Senel Campos Valverde
Farm:
 "Supre Madre" Plot
Don Senel Micromill (Finca La Toboba)
Variety:
 Gesha
Elevation:
 1900 MASL
Process:

Slow Dried Natural:

Ripe cherries (minimum 25 Brix) harvested at the Supre Madre plot and taken to the Don Senel Micromill for processing. Cherries floated and run through a siphon grading system to remove underripes and ensure uniform density. Cherries then moved to raised beds for 3 days of continual hand sorting, with a final brix check to ensure maximum sugar content and uniformity. Lots then moved to a greenhouse with shade netting to ensure a slow drying process (controlled temperature, humidity and ventilation), with drying taking 30 to 40 days on average. Post green-house drying, the cherries are stored in grain-pro in a cool warehouse for a 2-3 month reposado to ensure stability. We additionally requested that this lot was packed in vacuum packs at the mill, ensuring optimal quality stability

 
Import Partner:
 Ally Coffee
Harvest

Crop 24/25 Arrived UK: 13/08/25. New Purchasing Relationship

 

The Story

Don Senel Micromill is operated by Senel Campos Valverde and his son Allan, representing three generations of coffee cultivation in Costa Rica's Brunca region. The family operation processes coffee from three properties: Finca La Toboba, Las Huacas, and El Cola Roja, located on the slopes of Chirripó mountain at elevations between 1350-1900 meters above sea level.
The operation exemplifies Costa Rica's micromill revolution, which began in the early 2000s as small-scale producers gained direct control over processing to achieve quality differentiation. Don Senel employs scientific processing methods including pH monitoring, Brix measurement, and controlled fermentation environments. This technical precision allows the family to optimize each lot's potential rather than relying on traditional commodity-level processing.

The farms cultivate multiple varieties including Villa Sarchi, Obata, Geisha, and SL-28/ SL-34. Cultivation practices emphasize agroforestry with native shade trees including Guaba, Jocote, and Anona, supporting both biodiversity and soil health while reducing dependence on chemical inputs. The family has reduced herbicide use by 85% through natural pest management systems.

Finca La Toboba, the original family property, takes its name from the harmless Toboba snakes that inhabit the area. The farm's location between two mountain canyons creates distinct microclimates that allow for varied cultivation approaches across different elevations and exposures.
The Brunca region, comprising the cantons of Coto Brus, Buenos Aires, and Pérez Zeledón, represents approximately 20% of Costa Rica's coffee production. One super interesting thing we're finding is - we're becoming quite enamoured with coffees from Brunca.

Not traditionally one of the "classic" regions for quality (ala Tarrazú or the West/Central valleys) - several of the coffees we have booked for this season and have prominently featured last year (such as coffees from Jhonny Alverado's Corazón de Jesús) have ended up coming from Brunca. There's something about this region that really clicks with our sourcing style, it seems - just like Colombian coffees from Palestina

Credit for additional farm & producer photography: Ally Coffee

Resting: If you can bear to wait, coffee stored in the bag (un-opened) for this period will improve immensely as it releases CO₂ created during the roasting process, and will be at peak flavour for several weeks following the "Best Rested for" indication.
You are of course welcome to open your coffee earlier and it should still be tasty!

Once opened, consume within 2 weeks 

We suggest that all of our coffees are best enjoyed within 3 months from the day it was roasted and indicate the "roasted on" date & "best before" date on the rear of the bag.