GUATEMALA | El Carmen | Pacamara | Natural

Origin

• 🇬🇹 Guatemala

Tasting notes

Character

• Funky
  20

Nestled in the highlands of Santa Cruz Naranjo, Santa Rosa, Guatemala, Finca El Carmen has been crafting coffee excellence since the 1950s. This picturesque estate, overlooking the enchanting Laguna El Pino, boasts elevations ranging from 1250 to 1500 meters above sea level. The coffee tapestry here is rich and diverse, with CaturraCaturraA natural dwarf mutation of Bourbon found in Brazil: compact plants, easier picking, bright and clean cup. A workhorse across Latin America., CatuaiCatuaíA Brazilian cross of Mundo Novo and Caturra: short, productive, storm-resistant. Sweet, mild, dependable — everywhere in Brazil and Central America., Pacamara, BourbonBourbonOne of the two foundational arabica varieties (with Typica), named after Île Bourbon (Réunion). Sweet, balanced, caramel-leaning; parent of countless modern cultivars., Obata, and GeishaGesha (Geisha)A rare, jasmine-and-bergamot scented variety originally from Ethiopia's Gesha forest, made famous by Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda. Routinely the most expensive coffee at auction. varieties flourishing. What sets Finca El Carmen apart is its meticulous approach to coffee cultivation. The estate is a patchwork of parcels, each chosen to match the ideal elevation for specific coffee varieties. Engineer Rigoberto Morales del Cid, son of the current owner, is the mastermind behind this precision. He's on a mission to unlock the full potential of each varietyVariety (cultivar)The botanical subtype of the coffee plant — Gesha, Bourbon, SL28 — analogous to grape varieties in wine. A major driver of cup character alongside origin and process.. For years, these gems remained hidden, their flavours blended in obscurity. But since 2017, a dedicated process of cuppingCuppingThe standardized tasting ritual — coarse grounds steeped in hot water, crust broken, slurped from a spoon — used to score and compare coffees. and evaluation has been underway. Scores dictate which varieties receive individual attention, each painstakingly processed to showcase its unique charm.