Filter Roast – Guatemala Finca La Senda

One example of a producer in Guatemala that has found success in experimenting with processing methods is Finca La Senda, a small family farm in Acatenango. The owners, Arnoldo and Maria Eugenia Pérez, used to sell their cherry to nearby cooperatives, but they began to do their own processing on the farm.

The Finca extends from the borders of the village up to mount Balàm, the hill of the Jaguar. Coffee is planted at an altitude between 1’500 and 2000 meters and is harvested on an extension of 27 hectares.

Arnoldo gave his life to coffee, the main product that supported his family as well as many families in Aldea el Socorro, given that all of his employees (14 throughout the year, ca. 70 during harvest) are villagers.

Over the last decades, Arnoldo’s focus was on farming, but in 2017, with the visit of  some Specialty Coffee traders, he started to believe in the extraordinary potential of the finca and builds his own “Beneficio”

While being late starters, Arnoldo and his family combined their deep knowledge in the agricultural space with best practices in processing, learned and developed with the strong support of his friends and partners. In its first year of own processing, Finca la Senda focused its efforts on consistent cherry selection, long and controlled fermentations as well as slow shadow-drying.

Varieties, processing and profiles

The varieties cultivated at the Finca include Caturra (ca. 65%), Bourbon (ca. 25%) and Typica (ca. 10%), all harvested between late November and March.

Good nutrition, the volcanic soil (the “Volcan de Fuego” sits about 15 km from the farm) and a supportive climate provide for an ideal terroir, as confirmed by the consistent results of local farms at Cup of Excellence.

Apart from the common profiles of the region, characterized by sweet flavors of stonefruits, citrus, bright acidity and good body they have noticed that fermentations and experimental processes emphasize these characteristics and significantly increase complexity.

Whereas the region-typical flavors are still present, we have found an increase in exotic flavors such as grapes, berries, jasmine, tamarind, blackcurrant and ripe or tropical fruits, depending on the process (and variety).

Brewing recommendation

• V60 dripper
• Water Temperature 95 degrees C
• Ratio : 1:16 (15g ground coffee to 240g of water)
• Pour water every 30 seconds
• First Pour 45g
• Second Pour 65g
• Third pour 65g
• Fourth pour 65g
• Swirl and tap
• 2.30 min total time

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Recommended water “ Tesco Ashback”

Recommended dripper material “ Plastic”