I can’t believe it. Somehow, even though Guatemala is my favorite coffee-producing region, I managed to let a whole two months pass before the Table saw a Guatemala.
In the last few weeks, though, I’ve gotten to try two really fantastic Guats from CREMA and Barefoot.
Today, I’ve been graced with the arrival of a third Guatemala; this time from my friends in Tacoma at Bluebeard Coffee.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Guatemala Finca Entre Volcanes Antigua Bourbon, from Bluebeard Coffee Roasters in Tacoma, Washington. Feel free to pull up a chair.
From the town of San Miguel Duenas in Antigua, Finca Entre Volcanes was founded in the 1950’s by Don Arturo Falla Cofino who, after over 30 years of farming the land, passed on to his son, Estuardo Falla Castillo. Estuardo, who also manages neighboring Finca San Sebastian, has continued the family tradition since the late 80’s, practicing the old knowledge acquired from his father, and bringing it further into the 21st century by continually innovating it with new technology.
At Finca Entre Volcanes, the quality of the coffee is the most important thing to Estuardo, from the seed to the bags. They have washing stations and a dry mill on the property, and all the coffee is sun dried on patios. The combination of microclimate, volcanic soil, and the quality process makes of this an exceptional and unique coffee.
the basics:
origin: San Miguel Duenas, Antigua, Guatemala
farm: Finca Entre Volcanes
elevation: 1450 – 1700 meters above sea level
cultivars: Bourbon
process: fully washed, patio dried
certifications: standard
the coffee:
The aroma of the Finca Entre Volcanes is sweet, vibrant, and dynamic. It’s a little bright, fruity, and tropical, a little bit herbaceous and floral, a little earthy, and a little savory. Honey, juicy red fruits, jasmine, rose hips, and stone fruits.
The flavor of this cup kicks off with a creamy salted caramel, immediately followed by a juicy and tart raspberry. The acidity is almost immediate as, even while the cup is still piping hot, I’m getting the taste of clean, sweet clementines.
As it cools, the coffee starts tasting a lot more like the great outdoors. A lightly syrupy body introduces flavors of Tupelo honey, apple and pear, herbaceous jasmine and rosemary, and aromatics of golden wheat, barley, and hops.
Medium body; lightly syrupy mouthfeel; soft citrus acidity; clean finish.
the bottom line:
The Guatemala Finca Entre Volcanes Antigua Bourbon, from Bluebeard Coffee Roasters, is certainly an interesting and complicated coffee. Very complex.
Having said that, however, I wish that the flavors in this cup would have been a bit more forward. While I can appreciate a coffee that is soft, subtle, understated, whatever, I feel like this particular coffee had a lot more going for it at one time, but that time has passed. It doesn’t taste stale, it just tastes… faded.
I’d really like to know when the harvest of this crop took place, because I have a feeling that when these greens were fresher, this coffee was impeccable. I really do. Because, even now, the flavors in the cup are still great.
I just can’t imagine how much they popped when those greens were fresh off the boat.
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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.