In early March 2011 several JJ Beaners travelled to Guatemala, to visit the farms where some of our favourite coffees are grown. The following text is by JJ Bean's coffee quality leader, Grady Buhler, and the photos were taken by our roaster, David Long. The last four farms are covered here.
FINCA SANTA PAULA
Following our time in Santa Ana, we continued to Coban to visit Finca Santa Paula. It is another farm that is managed by Rony, and is owned by Christian and Oscar Schaps. We were surprised to see that the coffee at Santa Paula is dried on raised beds in a greenhouse, rather than on a patio. This is due to the large amount of rainfall they get. The drying takes less time in the greenhouse than it would on traditional patios because of the heat and the thinner layer of parchment coffee. The parchment is turned by a small hand rake, rather than large rakes or shovels. Currently they are replacing the Catimor varietal with Caturra at Santa Paula. Caturra takes better to the wet conditions at this farm.
FINCA LA PERLA
The lovechild of the Garden of Eden and Rivendell is called Finca La Perla. It is hard to describe the beauty of this place. Everywhere we looked, coffee and shade trees were reaching up to the peaks of the mountains. As if in a tropical dream, we rode through Bourbon and Caturra trees on horseback, chewing on the cardamom that also grows on the farm.
Christian Schaps, the manager of the farm, believes that La Perla owes its unique flavour profile to just the right blend of Bourbon and Caturra varietals, which thrive here in the perfect growing conditions. Christian describes the farm in terms of having its own unique ecosystem. Thus, the coffee cannot be described as tasting like a Huehuetenango or an Antigua, but it has flavours reminiscent of both regions. Christian would say it simply tastes like La Perla. The coffee cherries are rigorously checked by workers before washing, ensuring that no green cherries enter the mill. After pulping and washing, they are dried on patio. We stayed up late at the farm, talking about the events of the day and sipping freshly roasted La Perla out of a French press.
FINCA EL INJERTO
Many have called El Injerto the model of what a farm and a wet mill should be. I have not seen as many farms as others, but after being at El Injerto I now see what all the fuss is about. The place is truly amazing. We were welcomed by the owner of El Injerto, Sr. Arturo Aguirre. Many describe him as the “Juan Valdez” of Guatemala, noting his stately, noble demeanour. Arturo and his son Arturo Jr. are best known for their Pacamara varietal (which we roasted last year), but they grow a variety of cultivars and are constantly experimenting with new ones. Among their experimental growths are Geisha, mini-Bourbon, and Mundo Novo. These trial shrubs are planted at the very top of the farm at over 6000 feet. As such they take longer to reach maturity.
The high elevation of El Injerto affects other areas of coffee production, including the fermentation process. Coffee at El Injerto is fermented for 30 hours on average, as the process takes longer than it would at lower elevations. Coffee sorting takes place at every stage of production at the Aguirre’s farm, from picking only the ripest cherries, to sorting at the dry mill before the coffee is bagged, and at every stage in between. Only at El Injerto did we see tiled fermentation tanks. The mill is spotlessly clean. After the coffee is finished fermenting, it rests in a tile tank while pure mountain water is flushed through it for 24 hours. It is then dried on patio, and finished in mechanical dryers.
Worms are used to break down the cherry pulp, which is then used as fertilizer on the farm. Unlike at other farms, seedlings are not planted in plastic bags but in reusable plastic pots. Finca El Injerto also has its own dry mill and roasting plant. In every way the Aguirres are leaders in Guatemalan coffee.
FINCA EL CARMEN (EL SALVADOR)
At the last minute we decided to swap our planned day of relaxation for another farm visit, this time across the border in El Salvador. We were welcomed to El Carmen Estate by the producer, Sr. Fernando Alfaro Castaneda. El Salvador is best known for its Bourbon varietal, and El Carmen is no exception. There is a large wet mill on the Estate which provides milling for other farms in the Ataco area. One of the things that we noticed at El Carmen was that the top quality coffees were stored in huge pine silos, rather than packaged immediately in jute sacks. The coffee undergoes a minimum 45-day rest in parchment before being released from the farm.
One of the highlights of our trip was cupping at El Carmen. We cupped two Bourbons from exactly the same area of the farm. Unbeknownst to us, one of the coffees had been rested for only 15 days, whereas the other had been rested a full 45 days in parchment. The 15 day was flat, grassy, and earthy. The 45 day was beautiful, with crystal clear acidity and a refined, nutty character. It was one of the best coffees we had tasted on the trip, and a wonderful learning experience.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If I had to use one word to describe my feelings on our trip to origin, it would be humility. I am struck by how privileged we are at JJBean to be a roaster of fine specialty coffees. We did not work the soil or plant the coffee. We did not tend the trees or pick the cherries. We did not wash the coffee or rake it on the patios. We didn’t mill it, bag it, or export it. We are not coffee farmers! So often we talk about the coffee as if it was ours. If anything, this trip has strengthened our resolve as a coffee roaster to bring out the very best in each coffee we buy. And boy, am I ever excited for this years’ Guatemalan offerings! Coming soon…
