After yesterday’s incredible cup from Verve Coffee, it’s time we dip our collective cupping spoon a little bit further into April’s MistoBox.
Klatch Coffee helped to introduce 2013 to the Table and those three coffees that they sent me were, coincidentally, my introduction to the company. As it turned out, they didn’t need a second chance to make a first impression because I was so impressed with the quality of the coffees they sent me.
Instead of getting a second chance, Klatch now has the opportunity to make a second great impression—this time, in a MistoBox shipment.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping a cup of Guatemala Finca Covadonga, from Klatch Coffee in Ontario, California. Feel free to pull up a chair.
A verdant colonial region in central highlands of Guatemala, Antigua is nestled in the middle of three volcanoes. The Finca Covadonga coffee farm is an elegant treasure composed of dedicated farmers—led by Don Robert Sanchez Lazo—who possess a vast knowledge and passion for coffee.
Antigua Valley is perfect for cultivating coffee, with ample rainfall, altitude above 4,900 feet and a constant humidity of 65%, making Antigua the home of the best coffees in all of Guatemala.
the basics:
origin: Antigua Valley, Guatemala
farm: Finca Covadonga
elevation: 1660 meters above sea level
cultivars: Bourbon, Caturra
process: fully washed, patio dried
certifications: standard
the coffee:
The Guatemala Finca Covadonga’s aroma is graceful, sweet, complex, dynamic. Wonderful floral aromatics of rose hips and orange blossom float out of the cup, lifted up by savory Tupelo honey, caramel, and fruity cherry and watermelon.
Up front, immediately post brew, honey, caramel, buttered croissant, brown sugar, and bakers spices greet the palate first. Typically, when these sorts of flavors present themselves so quickly, they contribute to the mouthfeel of the coffee—creamy or syrupy are common descriptors. This coffee, on the other hand, has a soft, silky texture that is defined by a fine and graceful rose petal note.
As it starts to cool off, the flavor shifts from warm red tones to a slightly brighter amber orange.
Sweet Darjeeling tea and orange blossom aromatics lightly brush against the roof of the mouth while the honey that was present up front continues to impress, even laying down a lightly sticky molasses mouthfeel. Sweetness and grace are the defining features of the cup at this point in the cup as notes of vanilla, cherry, apple, currants, and a mellow citrus acidity round out the bottom of the cup.
My only complaint, however, is that the finish doesn’t last as long as I’d like it to. I don’t want the cup to end because I’m genuinely enjoying the coffee, but the finish is thin, particularly at room temperature.
Medium body; silky mouthfeel; citrus acidity; clean finish.
the bottom line:
My arch-nemesis, Kenneth Davids of coffeereview.com, rated Klatch Coffee’s Guatemala Finca Covadonga at 93, then went on to describe it with frilly words like “pure, precious, and lyrical.” While I wouldn’t use those descriptors myself, I’m not going to argue with them because I think do a great job summarizing this coffee.
This cup has a lot of really great things going for it, particularly its incredible flavors that range the sweetness spectrum, from savory to fruity, its crystal clarity, its dynamic aroma, and its understated mellow acidity. It is graceful, it is elegant, and—why not—it is “pure, precious, and lyrical.”
It is a classically clean Guatemalan coffee and one that I will personally guarantee won’t disappoint.
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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.