Some coffee rituals are built around machines.
In Costa Rica, one of the most recognizable traditional methods is far simpler: a wooden stand, a cloth filter, hot water, and freshly ground coffee.
The brewer is called a chorreador, and the coffee it produces is often called café chorreado.
For this origin ritual, we’re using Canopy, our single-origin coffee from San Marcos de Tarrazú, San José, Costa Rica.
From Tarrazú, Costa Rica
Canopy comes from San Marcos de Tarrazú, one of Costa Rica’s best-known coffee-growing regions.
Our coffee is grown at approximately 1,300–1,600 meters in volcanic loam and is produced from Caturra and Catuai varieties.
It is fully washed and sun-dried, helping preserve the clean sweetness and lively fruit character of the coffee.
In the cup, expect notes of:
Pineapple juice • Blackberry • Almond
The medium-light roast keeps those flavors bright and expressive while still giving the cup enough sweetness and body to feel balanced.
What Is a Chorreador?
A chorreador is a traditional Costa Rican coffee brewer made from a simple stand that suspends a reusable cloth filter known as a bolsita.
Ground coffee is placed in the cloth filter and hot water is poured through it, allowing the brewed coffee to drip into a cup or serving vessel below.
The result sits somewhere between modern pour-over coffee and a more rustic cloth-filter brew: clean enough to show clarity, but with a little more body than many paper-filter methods.
What You’ll Need
For one generous cup or two small cups:
20 grams Canopy coffee
300 grams (about 10 oz) fresh water
Chorreador with a clean cloth bolsita
Kettle
Scale, optional
Milk or sugar, optional
Step 1: Grind Canopy Medium
Use a medium grind, similar to what you would use for a manual pour-over brewer.
The cloth filter is more porous than paper, so water can move through it quickly. A medium grind helps slow the brew enough to build sweetness without making the cup muddy.
Step 2: Heat the Water
Heat fresh water to approximately 92–97°C (198–207°F).
If you don’t use a thermometer, bring the water close to a boil and let it settle briefly before pouring.
Step 3: Prepare the Bolsita
Place the cloth filter securely in the chorreador.
If the filter has been stored dry, rinse it with hot water first to warm the cloth and remove any stale aromas.
Discard the rinse water before brewing.
Step 4: Add Canopy
Add 20 grams of freshly ground Canopy to the bolsita.
Level the grounds gently so the water can move through them evenly.
Step 5: Pour Slowly
Begin pouring hot water over the coffee in a slow, controlled stream.
Keep the grounds evenly saturated rather than dumping all of the water at once.
The cloth allows water to pass more quickly than many paper filters, so a calm pour helps prevent a thin, under-extracted cup.
Step 6: Aim for About 3 Minutes
Continue pouring gradually until you reach approximately 300 grams of water.
A total brew time around 3 to 3½ minutes is a useful target.
Once the dripping slows, remove the cup and serve immediately.
What Canopy Tastes Like This Way
The chorreador is an especially good match for Canopy because the cloth filter lets its brighter fruit character stay expressive while preserving a little more texture than a paper filter.
The pineapple note feels crisp and lively.
The blackberry brings a deeper fruit sweetness.
And the almond note provides a softer finish that keeps the cup grounded.
The overall effect is bright, clean, and aromatic without feeling overly delicate.
A Brewing Method Passed Down at Home
The chorreador remains strongly associated with everyday Costa Rican coffee culture.
Its simple wooden frame and reusable cloth filter make it practical, but its importance goes beyond convenience.
For many families, it is tied to memories of coffee prepared at home and knowledge passed from one generation to the next.
That makes café chorreado a natural expression of what we mean by ritual: a familiar process that becomes meaningful through repetition.
Try Canopy the Costa Rican Way
If you normally brew Canopy with a paper pour-over or drip machine, try it once through a cloth filter.
Compare the texture.
Notice whether the pineapple feels brighter.
See how the blackberry and almond change as the cup cools.
Canopy — Costa Rica Medium-Light Roast
San Marcos de Tarrazú, San José, Costa Rica
Medium-Light Roast
Experience the Ritual at OrtalisCoffee.com.
How Would You Drink Café Chorreado?
Black and bright?
Or with a little milk and sugar, as many Costa Rican coffee drinkers enjoy it?
Try Canopy both ways and see which version becomes your ritual.