PRODUCT DETAILS
| PRODUCER | Montenegro Lazo Family | PLANT VARIETY |
Catuaí, Caturra, Bourbon | C MARKET AT POSSESSION | $2.27/lb |
| FARM | San Antonio La Giralda | HARVEST |
February-May 2022 | COST OF PRODUCTION | NA |
| FARM SIZE | 7 hectares | PROCESS |
Natural | FOB/EXW | $3.96/lb/$6.14/lb |
| REGION, GEOGRAPHY | Amatitlán | EXPORTER |
Bicafe | FARM GATE | $3.57/lb |
| ELEVATION | 1800masl | IMPORTER | TerraNegra Coffee Imports | PRICE RECEIVED WITH COPC PREMIUM | NA |
RELATIONSHIP TO JUNIORS
We were introduced to Jose Montenegro by Cristy Guirola of TerraNegra Coffee Imports about five years ago in Guatemala. We discussed the Cost of Production Covered (CoPC) Project idea, and while we didn't have the capacity to buy Jose's exceptional coffee back then, we were able to in 2020. There were loads of unexpected challenges in 2020, but that year Jose's entire harvest was stolen from the mill that he was storing his coffee in. The mill owners compensated Jose with their own coffee (Lirios de Belén), which we purchased from Jose. For the second year in a row we have the privilege of roasting his coffee that is expertly grown and harvested at San Antonio La Giralda. This harvest was entirely naturally processed, and we ended up purchasing the entirety of his 2021/2022 harvest. While we weren't able to calculate cost of production this time around, we are getting a jump on the upcoming harvest calculations. This collaboration wouldn't be possible without Cristy. Her support of the project (e.g., her work in translating our CoPC questionnaire to gather cost of production data, countless brainstorming sessions, etc.) and for pricing transparency keeps us motivated and hopeful for the future of coffee.
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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Brew Time is the amount of time the water and coffee interact together. The longer you brew something for, the more you extract.
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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 recommend a 1:16.67 brew ratio when brewing this coffee for filter.
Grind: We grind this coffee on a 6 (on a scale of 1-9, 9 being the most coarse) for flat bottom filter. For context, this coffee requires a slightly finer grind than you might think.
Total Brew Time: We brew this coffee for 4:30 to 5:30 minutes for flat bottom filter.
Tips: If the coffee is tasting thin, take your grind finer!