Booze Cruise

NewBoozyJuicy
Booze Cruise is produced by Diego Robelo at Aquiares in Turrialba, Costa Rica, using Centroamericano, a hybrid of Sarchimor T-5296 and Sudan Rume. This anaerobic natural is a fun one from the latest harvest: no fuss, just fruity, a little boozy (the right amount), versatile and easy to drink. Purple grapes, cherry praline and brown sugar bring dark fruit and plenty of sweetness to a round cup.

Origin Costa Rica
Region Turrialba
Producer / Farm Produced by Diego Robelo
Harvest 2026
Tasting notes Cherry Praline, Purple Grapes, Brown Sugar
Altitude 1200masl
Varietal Sarchimor T-5296, Sudan Rume
Process Anaerobic Natural
Intervention Level Medium

Weight
Roast Profile

FROM ORIGIN TO CUP

At Aquiares, coffee growing and community have developed together for generations. Diego Robelo now manages the farm, continuing his father Alfonso’s work while exploring new varieties and processing methods. This lot grows at 1200 m on the slopes of the Turrialba volcano. The variety is Centroamericano H1, a cross between Sarchimor T-5296 and Sudan Rume, processed here as an anaerobic natural. The result is dark and fruity, with purple grape and cherry praline followed by brown-sugar sweetness and a slightly boozy finish.

Origin

Aquiares, Turrialba, Costa Rica. Diego Robelo manages the farm, where coffee grows alongside protected forests, natural springs and streams. This lot grows at 1200 m on the slopes of the Turrialba volcano, in the conditions that have shaped coffee production at Aquiares for generations.

Varietal

Centroamericano H1, a hybrid of Sarchimor T-5296 and the rare Sudan Rume. It combines good productivity and resistance to coffee leaf rust with the potential for a complex cup. Diego has been exploring how this variety performs in Turrialba’s climate.

Processing

Anaerobic natural. The whole cherries ferment in an oxygen-limited environment before being dried with the fruit still intact. For this lot, the process moves the cup towards darker fruit, with purple grape and cherry praline followed by the sweetness of brown sugar.

Intervention level

Medium. Anaerobic fermentation introduces a controlled stage before drying, with oxygen exposure managed during fermentation. The cherries are then dried whole as a natural, making this more involved than a traditional natural process without moving into a heavily manipulated processing method.

Cherry Praline
Purple Grapes
Brown Sugar

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THE DAK BREW GUIDE

These are the recipes we use every day at the roastery and showroom. We keep them simple on purpose: water, ratio, grind size. The coffee does most of the work when the basics are right. Every setup is different, so treat these as a starting point. Adjust based on what you're tasting and what your equipment gives you.

General

For most grinders and most bars. Balanced, works black and with milk.

• Ratio: 1:2.5
• Dose: 18 g
• Yield: 45 g
• Brew time: 25 seconds
• Pressure: 9 bars
• Temperature: 93°C

For our roast level 1:2.5 ratio fully extracts, balances and opens the cup without thinning it compared to the classic 1:2.

Modern

Longer ratio, lower pressure, shorter contact. More clarity and acidity.

• Ratio: 1:3
• Dose: 18 g
• Yield: 54 g
• Brew time: 20 seconds
• Pressure: 6 bars
• Temperature: 93°C

A note on equipment: 1:3 relies on a flat burr set capable of a very even grind.
On an E65, E80 or Mythos this ratio often tastes watery. If that happens, pull back to 1:2.5.

Advanced (pressure profiled)
For machines with flow or pressure control. This is the showroom recipe.

• Ratio: 1:3
• Dose: 18 g
• Yield: 54 g
• Total brew time: 30 seconds to 1:00 total
• Pre-infusion at 2 bars (about 1 to 2 g/sec flow rate) until 1g in the cup, 15 to 30 seconds
• Main extraction: 6 bars until 18g yield. (about 5 to 6 g/sec flow rate)
• Post-infusion: 2 bars (about 1 to 2 g/sec flow rate) until 54g final yield
• Temperature 93°C

• Ratio: 1:15
• Dose: 16.5 g
• Water: 250 g
• Brew time: 2:00 minutes to 2:30 minutes
• Temperature: 92°C

Poring structure

Start your timer with the first pour. The weights below are the total water added.

• 0:00 pour to 50g (8 g/sec, medium)
• 0:30 pour to 120g (8 g/sec, medium)
• 1:00 pour to 190g (3 g/sec, very low)
• 1:30 pour to 250g (3 g/sec, very low)

Pouring very slowly keeps the bed open. Let the water draw down to finish the brew.

Water is 98% of your cup, so it changes everything. Mineral content varies between cities, neighbourhoods, and even seasons depending on which reservoir is supplying the tap. If your water is hard (above 150ppm), switch to a soft bottled water around 50ppm. Too soft is always better than too hard. The difference in the cup is immediate.

Ethiopian coffees
Ethiopian beans are more brittle and produce more fines when grinding. Too much agitation during brewing pushes those fines into the filter and slows everything down. Keep agitation low. If the cup still tastes over-extracted or the drawdown stalls, grind coarser and extend the ratio or brew time slightly to compensate.

The look of a shot
Naked portafilters show you what’s happening, but what you see has no reliable connection to what you’ll taste. A messy-looking shot can taste clean, and a photogenic one can taste flat. Taste every shot, even the ones outside your parameters, and adjust from there.

Crema
Crema is gas escaping coffee under pressure. It carries very few desirable flavour compounds and can actually taste harsh. Removing it will almost always improve the cup. With light roast espresso especially, ignore the crema and focus on what’s in the liquid.

Freezing coffee
Freezing keeps coffee at peak flavour, but roasted coffee can’t be thawed and refrozen without losing quality. Vacuum-seal in single doses before freezing. When you’re ready to brew, grind it frozen. Don’t let it thaw first. Every grinder handles frozen beans without issue, and the results are often better. One dose out, the rest stays sealed.

Long ratio (for harder extraction)
For when extraction is more difficult: hard or heavily filtered water, a grinder past its best, or a dense lot.

1:18 ratio. 14g in, 250g out. 2:30 to 3:00. 97°C.
• 0:00 pour to 45g
• 0:30 pour to 90g
• 1:00 pour to 250g

1:20 ratio. 12.5g in, 250g out. 2:15 to 2:45. 97°C.
• 0:00 pour to 40g
• 0:30 pour to 80g
• 1:00 pour to 250g

Adjusting

• If the cup tastes thin, dry or harsh: raise the dose. Move from 15g to 16 or 16.5g at the same 250g yield.
• If espresso tastes watery at 1:3: shorten to 1:2.5 before touching the grind.
• Water: very low or very high TDS shifts everything. Check the water before changing the recipe. If the water cannot be changed, go to the long ratio recipes.