A little change in our main blend.
The Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is a popular coffee and the mixture with our Direct Trade Colombian worked fine, but as it happened before there were small hick-ups in the shipment from origin and it takes a little while before new bags will hit the Antwerp Harbour. Therefor we needed a replacement.
It's May and so our attention was quickly going into the direction of Guatemala. We tested 3 or 4 that were available and in the price range and finally picked an Organic one. The Guatemala Finca Buenos Aires Los Marias Organico is a coffee with fine acidity - not so common upon Guatemala's - and good body - typical. As a SOE (single origin espresso) we think it has its limitations, but blended with the Colombia Tolima El Meridiano we have a taste that makes us dream. Full power, very good mouthfeel and body, chocolate and liquorice!
Our 2.1 was totally to my liking as a double ristretto (3cl), but lacking something as doppio espresso (5cl). On this last department we made some progress I think.
A bit more about the bean :
ORIGIN : Guatemala , department Santa Rosa, mainly Barbarena. ( South of Guatemala City)
ICO COUNTRY CODE : 11
BOTANICAL VARIETY : Arabica , “ Bourbon “ & “ Typica”.
PRODUCTION AREA: production on 1600/1700 meters altitude.
SIZE : screen 16 up ( diameter in mm : +6.35)
CUP : good body, medium to good acidity.
TASTE : clean cup.
COLOUR : greenish/ blueish
The Federation Fedecocagua which has been shipping the coffee is relatively new to us, but not to the traders here in Antwerp as 25% of their export goes to Belgium.
FEDECOCAGUA is a second-level co-operative founded in 1969 to improve the position of small-scale coffee growers. It is the umbrella organisation for 19,354 coffee farmers belonging to 37 affiliated farmers’ organisations. FEDECOCAGUA provides a range of services including access to a credit scheme, technical support, transport, warehousing, and the purchase, processing and export of members’ coffee beans. This commercialisation of coffee production means the farmers receive higher prices than when they had to sell to middlemen. An organic conversion programme has also been established.
FEDECOCAGUA members, 70% of whom are indigenous people, are spread over different regions of Guatemala including Huehuetenango, Cobán, Verapaces, Retalhuleu, San Marcos, and Zacapa.. These rural areas are characterised by difficult economic conditions and poor infrastructure, particularly roads, electricity, communication, health, and education.
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