Concepción Pixcaya is a traditional farm in San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala. It has the ideal altitude and microclimate to cultivated coffee; macadamia nuts, avocado Haas; and timber forests of: cipres, four pine varieties, such as local and international trees species. They produce high quality coffee of Bourbon variety.
The farm was funded around 1926 by Mr. Carlos Mirón Armas and Mrs. María Muñoz de Miron. Before that year, the farm was property of Catholic Church and it was used by two Bishops, Mr. Cortéz and Mr. Larraz who built a beautiful Spanish house that was destroyed during the earthquake in 1976.
Actually the farm is handled and worked by the fourth family generation, Mr. Manuel Zaghi Mirón and Mrs. María Cristina Mirón Cordón de Zaghi. They produced different agricultural and forest products with the same dedication and environmental responsibility.
Mr. Manuel Zaghi supervises 100% the coffee production, to warranty high quality of the product. Cherries are handpicked in the field one by one; the cherries that are not a mature red are left for subsequent passes. Coffee is carefully selected before go through a depulping dry process; then is fermented during 24 hours, is washed and sun dry in patios. At the end, it has 11 – 12% humidity and finally it is transport to the warehouse.
At Concepcion Pixcaya there is traditional mill, dry patios, residual water tanks, coffee pulp tanks, coffee and macadamia nuts warehouses, fermentation tanks and tanks to produce organic fertilizer.
Environmental responsibility is an important matter in the farm. At Concepcion Pixcaya we avoid 100% to use herbicides, we only use organic fertilizer. The fermented water is reused and deposit in special tanks to be used in composting. The organic fertilizer is also prepared with: other biodegradable products such as: macadamia parchment, corn cane and other waste products. We also have five big tanks to keep rain water to use it during the harvest season (dry season in the region).
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Guatemala Concepcion Pixcaya, from Bluebeard Coffee Roasters in Tacoma, Washington. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THE BASICS:
region: San Juan Sacatepéquez, Guatemala
farm: Concepcion Pixcaya
producer: Maria Cristina Mirón de Zaghi
association: N/A
elevation: 1890 meters above sea level
cultivars: Bourbon
process: fully washed, patio dried
certifications: standard
THE BREW:
method: Kalita Wave
grind: 18, Preciso
coffee: 30 g
water: 480 mL
bloom: 1:00
pour: 2:30 concentric pour, 1:00 drop
THE COFFEE:
The aroma of the the Pixcaya is a confectioner’s dream. It’s very mellow, but it’s oh so dense and pretty bittersweet, featuring big scents of dark chocolate, cinnamon raisin bread, molasses, brown sugar, and toasted malt—much like a Guinness stout, actually.
Taking my first few sips of the cup immediately post-brew, my palate is enveloped by a heavy, full-bodied coffee that lazily rolls out of the cup with a dense, velvety mouthfeel. Massive flavors of moist cake, Dutch chocolate, and molasses ooze out of the cup like, well, molasses and lift in the finish to reveal a finish of vanilla extract, toasted malt, and marble rye. The coffee is very similar in flavor and consistency to a robust porter, really—heavy and bittersweet.
As the coffee cools, it doesn’t get any lighter; this is a massive and deeply dense coffee. It does, however, get a bit more complex and silky as mellow flavors of cantaloupe, plum, raisin, and a somewhat tart Fuji apple acidity stream down the center and sides of the tongue; they glide over the taste buds and wash away the flavors up front and finishes with lingering powdered sugar sweetness.
Full body; velvety mouthfeel; malic acidity; clean finish.
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Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.