We are sold! Apple pie notes and a caramelly sweetness prevail in this beautiful coffee from Guatemala.. The malic acid notes so typical of coffees from Marie Vides' farm are beautifully highlighted in the gorgeous appley notes in this coffee - not so bright as a citrus note but still a lovely balance with the tartness you'd find in a Bramley apple. And the caramel sweetness and body, also typical of this farm, are delicious. This is a beautiful coffee. Find out more about Maria's farm in her story below. It is equally as heart warming!
Finca La Bolsa:
Coffee farming on La Bolsa
Finca La Bolsa was bought by by Jorge Vides, a distinguished medical professional in 1958. Prior to this, the land had not been used for coffee production. Jorge had won a number of awards for coffee production and for services to the region of Huehuetenango as well as having the main hospital in the coffee growing region named after him. This family owned farm is now managed by Maria, Jorge's granddaughter
La Bolsa sits between two mountains which provide a very stable and humid microclimate. This combined with the limestone rich soils give the coffee a very pique profile, with a rich syrupy body and plenty of malic and citrus acidity.
Sections of the farm are reserved areas to promote biodiversity and reduce exposure to wind and soil erosion. Inga trees are used as shade trees and to fix nitrogen in the soils which is essential for plant and cherry growth.
Life on La Bolsa:
La Bolsa is RFA (Rainforest Alliance) certified and follows CAFE practices and guidelines. Coffee Care funded the construction of a school and nursery at the farm with fully trained, full time teachers. All of the temporary and permanent staff have access to schooling for their children and they are incentivised to leave their children at school or nursery through food donations. When a child attends school or nursery for 5 consecutive days they receive a weekly supply of rice, beans and corn. Prior to this food ration scheme, it was very difficult to get people to leave their children in the care of others and schooling wasn't necessarily valued: there is greater pressure on earning more money to feed the family. As a result, there are no children working on the farm and the school and nursery classes are full. Accommodation is provided for permanent and temporary workers with separate facilities such as bathrooms and kitchens, for men, women and families.
Coffee Produciton:
Coffee cherry growing on the tree at La Bolsa
Coffee is fermented for between 18 and 24 hours and is then cleaned of mucilage, graded in channels and soaked overnight.
La Bolsa competed in the 2002 Cup of Excellence competition and placed second, scoring 94.98. Since then, coffee quality has continued to exceed expectation and this lot does not disappoint.
(Information and images courtesy of Falcon Specialty)