October 2011’s pick

Guatemala Finca Santa Clara Genuine Antigua

Richly refreshing with a lively aroma

Perfect as: a sensuous, subtly sweet treat any time of the day

From

A fourth-generation family farm in volcanic central Guatemala. Ricardo Zelaya and his family have been producing world-class coffee at Santa Clara farm for over a 100 years. They grow one of only a handful of Genuine Antigua coffees unique to the lush Antigua valley. Their prized plantations spread along the Pacific-facing slopes of Agua, sister to Guatemala’s two other active volcanoes, Acatenango and Fuego.

Tasting notes

Guatemala’s exotic eco-regions are noted for their mineral-rich soils and microclimates which produce elegant, sweet, smells-wonderful coffee with a distinctive chocolatey side to them. Dark chocolate combined with a nice nuttiness (almonds anyone?) and hint of vanilla make this month’s coffee a very appealing all-rounder - zingy, rich, intense and never heavy.

Do say: Guatemalan coffees are 98% shade-grown, don't you know?

Don’t say: I thought Antigua was in the Caribbean.

The Provenance

Small but coffee-mighty, Guatemala is one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth. Its moist soil, low rainfall, cool nights and oodles of sunshine produce some of the world’s finest arabica beans.

Altitude – 1650m+

Finca Santa Clara hits the top spot in the Guatemala Coffee Board’s bean classification. Its SHB status - strictly hard bean (honest) - guarantees it’s been grown at a height in excess of 1650m and is the best in the country.

Processing

Fully washed and dried on a patio. Virtually all Guatemalan coffee is washed because the constant humidity vetoes the dry method; beans rot in it rather than dry.