Origin Stories: Tiesto - A Chorotega Fermentation Tradition in Every Cup
Tiesto begins in the heart of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, where the Indigenous Matambú community has preserved Chorotega culture for generations. This is the only place in the world where coffee is fermented with coyol wine, their traditional drink, a practice that gives Tiesto its unmistakable character.
Our Tiesto Coffee starts with a 5-day anaerobic fermentation, followed by two weeks of sun-drying on the same land where the community’s pottery, language, and traditions continue to thrive. That process creates a cup that tastes both familiar and ancient - dark chocolate depth, jammy fruit sweetness, and a rounded finish shaped by the fermentation itself.
Why “Tiesto”?
A tiesto is a shard of a broken ceramic vessel, and for the Chorotega people, it represents memory, ancestry, and the continuity of their craft. The name honors Chorotega pottery, officially recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Costa Rica.
Every Detail Has Meaning
- The Red Color: The bag’s deep red mirrors the tones found in traditional Chorotega ceramics.
- The Front Seal: A graphic interpretation of a tiesto itself — a pottery fragment that symbolizes cultural inheritance and resilience.
- Transparent Coffee Details: Process, roast level, varietal, altitude, weight, and our full organoleptic profile — listed clearly in both Spanish and English, just as we would share them at origin.
- Our Certifications: The PYME Costa Rica seal and our Life Zone certification proudly connect Tiesto to its Blue Zone roots in the Nicoya Peninsula.
Beyond the Bag
We designed Tiesto’s identity as a teaching tool - a way to bring Costa Rican heritage forward through coffee. Turn the bag over and you’ll find the full story of its cultural significance.
Every purchase directly supports that heritage. Five percent of all Tiesto profits go to the Cultural Committee for the Preservation of Matambugueño Traditions, sustaining the community where this coffee is grown, processed, and roasted.
Tiesto brings together craft, culture, and a one-of-a-kind fermentation method you won’t find anywhere else. Get your Tiesto Coffee today and taste a fragment of history!