The Audio version of In My Mug, the weekly coffee subscription podcast from Hasbean
Episodes
Sunday Sep 06, 2015
Sunday Sep 06, 2015
This is from my early 2013 trip to Guatemala. We never bought directly from Guatemala before 2 year ago; this has become one of our strongest and amazing relationships.My friend in Guatemala has been buying from these guys for a couple of years now and was very keen for me to go meet them. Located around an hour's drive to the east of Guatemala City in the small town of Palencia, this farm sits at an altitude of around 1600-1800 meters above sea level. It's owned by Guadalupe Alberto Reyes who used to be the Mayor of Palencia and has helped to build and develop the town.
Palencia is not part of the 8 regions of coffee from Anacafe, but you can see a lot of development in that zone. San Patricio el Limon is a perfect example of this. I like being in places that are working to be hot and up and coming, as well as those that are established players.
The farm produces mainly Caturra and Bourbon, and does some experimentation with Pacamara.
In fact the experimentation comes from the motivation of “Beto,” who in the last three years has really focused on the farm. He wanted to take more care in every step they take, from picking to processing to shipping, and also in the agronomy of the farm. This is very much a family affair; his wife and son also work on the farm, along with Beto's siblings. In fact his son is actually studying agronomy at the local college, for the benefit of the farm.
The dedication and care in each step is reflected in the fact that they have built up a new wet mill so they can separate different lots and have control over the quality of the coffee. Previously the mill could just process one lot; now they are able to process many lots and keep separate day's pickings and varietals in their own parcels.
This coffee is a Caturra variety comes from one section of the farm called Pie Del Cerro, that nicknamed "Poco inglaterra". Its Beto's favourite part, and has had the best production for many years, and is exclusively for us. Its the higest part of the farm at 1800 masl.
Since beginning to work with Beto he continues to invest in the farm, this year the visit showed us lots of new planting, and a lot of building work around the wet mill, he is also building a QC lab, and new accommodation for people working on the farm, it was a real hive of activity.
Everytime I visit the farm Beto and his family are the perfect hosts, welcoming me around the farm and into his home, and always preparing the most amazing meal. When you travel as much as I do, mid-trip you find yourself longing for something big and home cooked and not from a restaurant or roadside pop-up cafe. This traditional Guatemalan meals are just the ticket and I always look forwards to the food, but mainly the company.
So in the cup it starts off as sweet milk chocolate, with a wonderful satsuma orange acidity of the first time we tasted this coffee comes running back, along with a brown sugar sweetness, and a silky mouthfeel.
- Farm: San Patricio El Limon
- Farmer: Guadalupe Alberto Reyes
- Region: Palencia
- Altitude: 1,600 m.a.s.l.
- Variety: Caturra
- Processing system: Washed