000 - Finca Esperanza

This coffee was roasted March 9.

TASTING NOTES: Sweet orange, tamarind, milk chocolate and panela
ROAST: More developed than our limited drops, this coffee from Finca Esperanza is designed and best for espresso with chocolate notes or as crowd-pleaser on filter. if you are particularly sensitive to "roast" flavors, you might notice some in this coffee. It's what you might call a "comfort coffee" or a crowd-pleaser.
ACIDITY: Medium; balanced and well-integrated
FUNK: Undetectable in filter and espresso
FOR FANS OF: Comfort coffee, lattes that taste like chocolate milk, clean cups; woman producers

FARMGATE PRICE: self-exported
FOB PRICE: $3.25/lb
LANDED PRICE: $4/lb

This lot was created from cherry grown at Finca Esperanza. As a result, the cost to produce it is related to the activities of the farm which includes not only farm management and cherry collection but also a full- and part-time staff for processing, transportation, protection, milling, sampling and financing. The regional average price paid to pickers for cherry collection is 35 quetzales per quintal of cherry; standard practice does not require selective picking or sorting for ripeness, however, so Ana pays 75 quetzales per quintal to ensure red-ripe cherry prior to processing. By ensuring only red-ripe cherry is picked, Ana is able to maximize her yields and quality even in years when harvest is smaller, such as in 2023 when she undertook renovations of a number of sections of the farm to replant aging Catuaí and remaining Sarchimor trees with Java.

Because Ana is vertically-integrated and self-exporters under her brother's license, she is able to control her sale price to ensure she sells above her cost of production. Her children import and market her coffee in the U.S. as Two Birds Coffee.

Ana sells to Aviary on a cost-plus basis, but Aviary paid an additional premium in support of agronomic activities and infrastructure improvements ahead of the 2024 harvest.

A field blend of primarily Caturra (plus Catuaí, Sarchimor and Java) grown at 1346 masl using organic methods by Ana Bonifasi at Finca Esperanza in Zunilito, Suchitepéquez, Guatemala; selectively hand-picked and sorted in December 2023; pulped and floated; fermented with Laffort Actiflore Rosé yeast for 24 hours dry then submerged under cool, clean water for 16 hours; skin dried for 3 days without washing; dried mechanically using low-temperatures and periods of rest simulating day and night cycles; self-exported through Rosario Pecul; imported by Ana’s children: Two Birds Coffee.

I recommend resting this coffee for 2-3 weeks from its roasted date filter brewing and 3-4 weeks for espresso-style preparation (though you may wish to try it earlier to enjoy how the coffee changes and opens over time).

As filter, I prefer a ratio of 1:17 using low-agitation methods of extraction resulting in 22-23% EY. As espresso, this coffee sings using a turbo-style preparation for milk drinks targeting 18in/40out in 18 seconds. Shorter times will increase vibrancy and stonefruit character while sacrificing some chocolate tones.