New Single Origin Coffee: Guatemala Finca San Pedro Necta Organic
With flavour nuances of sweet orange, white floral tea and hazelnut on the cupping table as well as on pour-overs, it somehow feels peculiar when reading the tasting notes off the label as though as it is three different standalone coffees from different categories of the SCAA Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel. But the cohesiveness of flavours and how it binds together gives it complexity that is positive. In fact, as this is one origin that we have enter into experimental roasting, going with a higher charged temperature and higher airflow, allowing us to have a developed inner bean and a lighter surface caramelisation which makes this good for both filter and espresso.
We love buying coffees from farms that is new to us and in this latest single origin series, we bring you to the famous coffee growing region of Guatemala, Huehuetenango - Finca San Pedro Necta.
A steep road ascends the side of El Tapón Mountain in Guatemala’s remote Huehuetenango Department, rising finally to the mid-sized town of San Pedro Necta. San Pedro Necta municipality, which lies across the verdant hills surrounding the town centre, is characterized by small homesteads, and coffee is the primary means of income for most people living here. The town lies at the heart of the community, and the growers contributing to this community lot live mostly in its vicinity.
On this side of the mountain, away from the larger estates to the West, agriculture is mostly certified organic, as the surrounding community has chosen sustainable production practices as one of the ways to differentiate themselves and to remain competitive in this famous coffee-producing region. These aims are supported by the local organization, the Association of Integrated Development of San Pedro Necta (ASODESI), which serves around 140 members from the surrounding area. ASODESI provides a variety of services to its members and the wider community, from health services and education through to access to agricultural inputs. The majority of its members are Indigenous Mam-Maya,a historically marginalised group in Guatemala. ASODESI represents their members’ interests and makes sure to act as a mouthpiece for them in the global marketplace.
In recent years, sustainable production practices have become increasingly difficult to pursue, as many of the members of ASODESI are adapting to the changing climate cycles of the region, in which the intense rainy season is increasingly highly variable. When the rain comes too late, it can create a delay in the maturation process of cherries that have already withstood a long period of stress during the hot summer typical of the area. For this reason protecting shade and soil biodiversity has become critical. Additionally, the association has provided training in seedling preparation, including the application of organic fertilisers such as mulch, compost and manure. These fertilisers help create a foundation for healthy, productive and long-term organic agriculture.
We love the idea that Finca San Pedro was produced sustainably and being certified organic certainly earns it some cookie points amongst our very health-conscious regulars but it was not just because of this reason alone that encourages us to purchase this coffee but rather, how it challenges our roasting team to break the rules and re-approach the roasting from angles that differs from the norms. It was three roast profiles later before we agreed that these are flavours that best represents Finca San Pedro and the efforts that these farmers have put in and will be proud of.
With flavour nuances of sweet orange, white floral tea and hazelnut on the cupping table as well as on pour-overs, it somehow feels peculiar when reading the tasting notes off the label as though as it is three different standalone coffees from different categories of the SCAA Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel. But the cohesiveness of flavours and how it binds together gives it complexity that is positive. In fact, as this is one origin that we have enter into experimental roasting, going with a higher charged temperature and higher airflow, allowing us to have a developed inner bean and a lighter surface caramelisation which makes this good for both filter and espresso.
Finca San Pedro is now available in all our retail shops as well as the web shop, unfortunately for a limited time only. Enjoy them while it last.