Guatemalan Coffee Story-Federico's favorite Guatemala Peak Manor La Cumbre

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One of the most special features of La Cumbre is its location, just south of Guatemala City, just on the edge of this bustling city. Farms in the same area are usually very small, 2 to 4 hectares at most, but the peak is 40 hectares! And the altitude is very high, the highest point is more than 1800 meters!

Federico, a retired agrotechnician who grew up on a coffee farm, loved coffee, studied agricultural economics in college, and naturally became an expert in agro-technology related to coffee. From 1959 to 1964, he worked in International Coffee Organisation. ICO) works in Guatemala. When he retired in 1990, he bought the estate and began to pursue his coffee dream since he was a child. Because the manor was located on the highest peak in the nearby area, he decided to rename it "La Cumbre". For years, the farm has only produced commercial-grade raw beans, and this year's 2016 harvest season is the first year to produce boutique coffee.

Almost 100% of the coffee grown on the estate is Catuai, which is less affected by leaf rust because of its extremely high altitude, but fertilizer must still be applied frequently to maintain Kaddura's high yield and health. As an expert in agricultural technology, he is very restrained in the use of chemical fertilizers and leaves a large area for forests and fruit trees (avocados). Only 20 hectares out of 40 hectares grow coffee.

Due to proper care, the average age of coffee trees is 25-30 years old, but they are still very healthy. And can maintain high production. In addition to Kaduai, Federico also began experimenting with other beans, such as Villa Sashi and Obata. At the beginning of the harvest season, fresh fruit harvested by hand is sent 40 kilometers away every day and is also handled by a family-owned washing plant.

After the cherry fresh fruit arrives at the washing plant, the floating beans will first be removed through the sink, usually immature or damaged beans, the heavier and mature cherries will sink to the bottom of the water, they will go into the peeling machine to remove the peel and pulp, and then will be quickly treated by the pectin machine to remove the remaining pectin mucus, which will be transported to the sink and washed again, this time manually. After this process, all the pectin is washed and soaked in clean water overnight. The next morning, the shelled beans are drained and placed in the sun to dry. The thin layer is laid out and turned frequently with a plank until the moisture content is 11.5%. The drying period usually takes 3-4 days.

Guatemala Peak Manor Kaduai full water wash

Guatemala Finca La Cumbre Catuai fully washed

Country of production: Guatemala, Guatemala

Production area: Fraijanes

Farm: peak Manor Finca La Cumbre

Farmer: Federico Cruz Sandoval

Altitude: 1675-1825 m

Farm area: 40 hectares

Bean seed: Kaduai Catuai

Treatment: full water washing Fully washed; drying in the sun field

Harvest time: 2017