This month we head to Guatemala to Finca Isnul in the Huehuetenango region, via the fantastic peeps at Onyx Coffee Lab in Arkansas, US. This Pacamara is all silky milk chocolate, nougat, pineapple, and orange, with a bunch of hazelnut in there too. It’s superb ????????????
We’ve got all the video you need, with interviews with the producer of this amazing coffee, Danny Perez, and also with the team at Onyx Coffee Lab, finishing up with a brew guide for all y’all too. We got you covered.
You can sign up to receive other rare, unique, and special coffees just like this when you join our Superlatives subscription, or just purchase a one-off bag.
About the Coffee:
Harvest: 2017
Plant Varietal: Pacamara
Process: Washed
Drying method: Sun-dried on raised beds
Farm location and other Characteristics:
Producer: Danny Perez
Farm: Finca Isnul
Country: Guatemala
Origin: Huehuetenango
Altitude: 1850 metres
The bean:
The coffee was sorted with density by fully immersing the cherries in water. The floaters were taken out of the main harvest and sold as a sub-product. The cherries then are squeezed through a screen called a pulper, and the fruit/skin goes down one shoot, and the coffee seeds (beans) go into a large tank.
From here the coffee went through a 36-hour dry fermentation. The coffee was then set out to dry on raised beds, allowing airflow and even drying among all the coffee.
The farm:
“This farm had belonged to our mother’s family since 1940 and my grandfather since 1969. It was a small farm, but with hard work and loans, the farm became one of the biggest farms in the region with 160 hectares. Unfortunately, our grandfather passed away on March of 2015. Now his two daughters, Leticia (my mother) and Lorena (my aunt) Anzueto Sandoval are the new owners of the farm. We are working the farm with the help of 5th generation of coffee growers. Starting the process from the ground up, we are now processing, milling, cupping and exporting the finest Guatemalan coffees directly to the best roasters in the world.” — Danny Perez (lovingly ripped straight from Onyx ????)
The roasters: Onyx Coffee Lab
In the small town of Springdale, Arkansas, Onyx Coffee Lab is driving specialty coffee. Everything about them is what we seek in a guest roaster. They’re dedicated to establishing and maintaining relationships with their producers and heavily focused on roast quality and education. Added bonus— they know how to have a good freaking time. The owners, Andrea and Jon Allen, carry an energy that trickles all the way down to their retail staff across their three shops, and that positive presence is felt in the community too. Their company is decorated with coffee champions as their head trainer, Dylan Siemens, and head roaster, Mark Michaelson, currently hold the 2017 US Brewer’s Cup and US Roaster Champion titles. Andrea, herself, has also placed in the US Barista Competition multiple times, snagging 2nd place this last season.
Back in October, Michelle had the chance to pay Onyx Coffee Lab a visit while they were preparing for this month’s Superlatives.
Just watch the video below.
We’re pretty sure you’ll enjoy it.
The Water:
Head over here to start off with your own bespoke mineral water recipes; we highly recommend using these for your brewing water. We stuck with Recipe 6 for this brew.
Brew Guide:
We’ve helpfully thrown all the tips and tricks for this brew into one video. Hope you enjoy it!
Here’s the recipe if you need to read along while you watch. This makes a pretty tasty cup.
Kalita Wave
- 24g of coffee
- 400g of water
- Total brew time: 2:40
We hope you enjoy this coffee as much as we did, and let us know how you went with your brews in the comments below!
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