High in the rainforest-covered mountains of Santa María de Dota sits La Bandera, the Hidalgo family farm and micro-mill. Owned and operated by Diego Hidalgo, the farm has earned a reputation for its breathtaking setting, rare varieties, and Diego’s steady, detail-driven approach to processing.
This Geisha lot is the result of an ongoing collaboration between Metric and La Bandera. What began as a casual conversation turned into a challenge: What would La Bandera’s Geisha taste like using a true Kenyan Process? Until then, Diego had worked exclusively with honey and natural methods. Still, he agreed to set aside a quintal of Geisha for a small-scale test — and the results quickly proved the idea worth pursuing.
After harvest, the cherries were depulped and rested overnight in open steel tanks. The first fermentation and wash began the next morning, with cool, clean water poured over the parchment and drained after several hours. A second soak followed — longer and colder — encouraging a deeper breakdown of remaining mucilage and refining the acidity. Once fully washed, the coffee was dried for 12 days on shaded raised beds, turned hourly to protect the integrity of the variety’s delicate floral and citrus-driven character.
The Kenyan Process, known for its double-fermentation structure, is celebrated for producing exceptionally clean, vivid, and expressive coffees. Through Diego’s careful execution, this Geisha reveals lifted florals, crisp citrus, and a refined sweetness — a profile that highlights both the elegance of the variety and the clarity of Costa Rican terroir.
But the story of La Bandera reaches back decades. Diego’s father purchased the original farm in 1965, planting Typica and joining the newly formed cooperative in Dota. After spending more than a decade in the United States, Diego returned home with a renewed sense of purpose: to honor his family’s work while pushing quality forward. With his wife and brother, he invested in Finca Aguas Buenas and, in 2014, launched his own micro-mill — La Bandera — a place defined by both tradition and quiet innovation.
This Geisha lot embodies that balance. Rooted in legacy, shaped by experimentation, and executed with discipline, it stands as a clear reminder of why Costa Rican coffee continues to hold its place among the world’s very best.
Green Price
$23.00
Green cost, milling, transport, taxes and exporting fees.
Transport
$1.07
Importing fees and transport from the farm to Chicago, Illinois.
Our Cost of Production
$6.08
Labor, Rent, Health Insurance, Paid Time Off
Metric
$30.15
Per 10.5oz bag of coffee
Read The Source Code to learn more about price transparency in the coffee industry.
Diego Hidalgo
Santa Maria De Dota , Costa Rica
- Producer Diego Hidalgo
- Elevation 1900 MASL
- Process Washed
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Quality
Quality means buying high quality coffees from established producers around the world.
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Traceability
Traceability gives recognition to the producers and validates where the coffee is grown, picked, and processed.
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Transparency
We endeavor to contextualize the importance of a fair and balanced trade through the prices we pay.
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Paying More
As an Independent Specialty Coffee Roaster, we always pay well above the C-Market based on two factors; the quality of coffee and the cost of production.
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Fair Wage
A fair wage begins with paying higher premiums to the coffee producer in tandem with providing competitive wages and benefits for our staff here at Metric.
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