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Guatemala, Peña Blanca
Guatemala, Peña Blanca
Guatemala, Peña Blanca
Guatemala, Peña Blanca
Guatemala, Peña Blanca
Guatemala, Peña Blanca
Guatemala, Peña Blanca
Guatemala, Peña Blanca
Guatemala, Peña Blanca

Guatemala, Peña Blanca

$26.50 USD


BROWN SUGAR - VANILLA - ALMOND

This is the fifth Cost of Production Covered (CoPC) release from Salvador Melgar and Marielisa Hernandez, and this year's harvest is better than ever. Founded in 1992 by Sal’s father, the farm is located in San Agustín Acasaguastlán on the eastern side of Guatemala. Peña Blanca is located in the El Progreso growing region, bordering the Nuevo Oriente growing region. Its latitude and elevation result in later harvest times than other Guatemalan coffees that we work with.

While 26 acres of the farm are dedicated to coffee, it has nearly 780 acres dedicated to forest preserve. The farm grows Pache, Caturra, Catuaí, Maragogipe, and Pacamara plant varieties at high elevations, which gives the coffee its lively acidity. Sal and Marielisa process their coffee on site using the white-honey process, which gives the coffee body while also giving it clarity. This coffee has enough cup clarity to give the impression that the coffee is wet processed. Sal and Marielisa have been working so hard to renovate the farm over the last ten years since they inherited the farm. This is a lengthy process, as it involves pruning existing plants, adding soil nutrition, and planting new plants (being so patient for them to yield fruit, which takes 2-5 years!). Their dedication to this major farm overhaul is paying off. We are totally blown away by their efforts, and how it manifests as quality more and more each year. This year's harvest tastes like Tootsie Roll, vanilla, peaches and cream, and pecan.

*Photos provided by Salvador Melgar and Junior's.

 


 

 



 

PRODUCT DETAILS

PRODUCER Salvador Melgar and Marielisa Hernandez PLANT VARIETY
 Pache, Caturra, Catuai, Pacamara, Maragogipe C MARKET AT POSSESSION $1.54/lb
FARM Peña Blanca HARVEST
 Spring 2023 COST OF PRODUCTION $4.58/lb
FARM SIZE 29.4 hectares PROCESS
 White Honey FOB/EXW $4.25/lb/$6.10/lb
REGION, GEOGRAPHY El Progreso, Oriente EXPORTER
 Bicafe FARM GATE $4.25/lb
ELEVATION 1432-1645masl IMPORTER TerraNegra Coffee Imports FARM GATE WITH COPC PREMIUM $5.39/lb

RELATIONSHIP TO JUNIORS

This coffee is Cost of Production Covered (CoPC)! This is the seventh harvest Junior’s has purchased from Peña Blanca, and TerraNegra Coffee Imports was instrumental in building this partnership. Ana Cristina (Cristy) Guirola, owner of TerraNegra, is dedicated to facilitating transparency in the supply stream. What's more, she imports coffees of exceptional quality. It was right around the time that Cristy introduced us to Sal and Marielisa's coffee back in 2016 that we first discussed the CoPC Project. In fact, Peña Blanca's coffee is the first coffee that Junior’s bought from Cristy. This year, we were able to calculate the cost of production with our new CoPC template. Production costs this year were impacted by high inflation, labor, and fertilizer costs. We have much respect for the business(es!) that Sal and Marielisa run, and find much kinship in the fact that we are also a couple running a business together.

HOW WE BREW COFFEE

There are countless influential variables and industry professionals that influence the quality of coffee before it reaches the coffee cup, and the last step to reap the benefits of this tremendous work takes place when it’s brewed.

Before talking about how this coffee brews best, let’s review some brewing basics:

  1. Dose is the amount of coffee we use (measured in grams). If you don’t have access to a digital scale, know that 1 tablespoon is equivalent to 6-8 grams of wholebean coffee.

  2. Water Input is the weight of the water we use (measured in grams) to brew with.

    * We suggest a coffee to brew water ratio of 1:16 to 1:17 for filter coffee. For example, if you’re using 15g of coffee and 250g water, your brew ratio is 1:16.67. 

  3. Burr grinders will give you a more consistent Grind Size, and you’ll be able to repeat the same grind size twice. It’s best to grind your coffee right before brewing, because grinding your coffee too far in advance accelerates the aging process of your roasted coffee. Remember that the finer you grind, the more you extract.

  4. Brew Time is the amount of time the water and coffee interact together. The longer you brew something for, the more you extract.

  5. We recommend Brew Water Temperature between 200°F and 205°F. If you are using a kettle on the stove, bring the water to a boil and wait 30-45 seconds off boil before using the water to brew. The hotter your brewing water is, the faster you can extract coffee.

HOW WE BREW THIS COFFEE

Brew Ratio: We brew this coffee with a 1:16.67-1:17 brew ratio.

Grind: We grind this coffee on a 6.5 for flat bottom filter, as it requires a finer grind for proper extraction.

Total Brew Time: We brew this coffee with a brew time of 4:30 for Chemex, and 4-6 minutes for batch brewed coffee.

Notes: This coffee is not as soluble as your average Guatemalan coffee, so adjust your extraction variables accordingly. For example, longer total brew times, finer grinds, and using less coffee will extract more. .