Guatemala Antigua La Esperanza

From Finca La Esperanza ("the hope") grown by farmer Francisco Morales. This is an estate-grown coffee, high up in the region of Antigua, and it has the classic milk chocolate, floral, slight citrus, bright attributes of a high quality Antigua. This one is extremely versatile. Although it really shines as a light roast, you can take it darker without burning it. Antigua is perhaps the most famous coffee growing region in the country and has a great reputation all over the world for its coffee. Antigua is near the center of the country, just outside the capital of Guatemala City.

I aim for a middle ground right between the first and second cracks. So on my drum roaster, I'm taking it about 45 seconds past the end of the 1st cracks, but still about a minute away from the second cracks beginning. At this level, I taste milk chocolate covered flowers. Full bodied creamy and complex. Sweet aftertaste. Hint of oranges. I like brightness in it, so I roast it like a Kenya, speeding it up from 300 degrees on into the 1st cracks, and then continuing to keep it roasting quickly all the way to the finish to accentuate the acidity. Take it a little bit lighter to bring out more floral, and take it a little bit darker to bring out more chocolate, but somewhere right around there is going to be your sweet spot for this bean.

If you take it to the 2nd cracks, you get less acidity and less floral, but a perfectly nice chocolatey Guatemala with nice mouthfeel and clean finish. Darker then that starts to get bitter.

Varietal is a blend of Caturra, Bourbon, and Catuai.

US Arrival July 2017