December 2021 Magic Seeds

We are super excited to introduce you to this month's Magic Seeds, a washed blend of Bourbon and Caturra from Finca El Chalum in Guatemala. We have plenty to say about that, but first let's take a look at our Daily Drinker.

Your December Daily Drinker comes from a variety of farmers throughout the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala. The farms selected for this offering show a "taste of the place" - a representation of the classic flavors the region is known to typically express.

In our ecperience, Huehuetenago is the place to go when looking for dark berries and smooth chocolate flavors with just a touch of citrus acidity. This coffee checks all those boxes. We're seeing flavors of blackberries, milk chocolate and Garham cracker, developing into toasted almonds and coconut.

This month's Magic Seeds comes from Finca El Chalum, owned and operated by Francisco Lorenzo Pablo. His farm is in the village of Todos Santos, Northeast of the city of Huehuetenago, about halfway to the Mexican boarder.

He is a member of the ASPROCDEGUA cooperative and grows Bourbon, Caturra and Pacamara varieties. His farm which about the size of eight football fields; a little over twice the average size for the group. This selection is a mixture of his Bourbon and Caturra varieties.

We have traveled to Huehuetenago a couple of times and have noticed a trend on a few of the smaller farms we have visited. Due to the high elevation and remote nature of many of these mountain-side farms, many farmers have to bring water up to their processing stations themselves. Some of these farms are only accessible by foot or horseback.

As a result of this challenge, we have noticed that many washed processed coffees from the region have gone through fewer rounds of rinsing, which leaves a small amount of residual pulp on the coffee as it goes off to dry. We believe this contributes to the classic flavors of washed Huehuetenango coffees expressing a sweetness you would expect to find more in a honey processed coffee.

Francisco's coffee undergoes three rounds of rinsing following its 18-24 hour fermentation soak. This complete rinsing is what makes the coffee of El Chalum stand out. While you see notes of berries this coffee is a lot brighter and vibrant than a typical coffee of the region.

The berries in this cup come across more like strawberry with notes of ripe pear and undertones of banana candy. As the cup cools we see flavors of vibrant white wine with a hint of oaky vanilla that turns into marshmallow as the acidity fades.

We hope that you have loved this month's Magic Seeds and look forward to sharing another exceptional experience with you next month.

image provided by Café Imports

Past Magic Seeds