This Direct Trade lot was milled and exported from our friends as ZelCafe.
The coffee itself is from Aurelio Villatoro and family. A farmer that brought us the delicious Villaure coffee that we carried a couple years ago. Finca La Esperanza lies between 1600-1800 meters up in the mountains of Huehuetenango near the Mexican border. Finca La Esperanza won 7th place in the 2012 Cup of Excellence and 6th place in the 2013 Cup of Excellence!!
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Guatemala La Esperanza, from Kuma Coffee in Seattle, Washington. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THE BASICS:
region: Huehuetenango, Guatemala
farm: Finca La Esperanza
producer: Eleodoro de Jesus Villatoro
association: N/A
elevation: 1400 – 1600 meters above sea level
cultivars: Bourbon, Caturra
process: fully washed, raised bed dried
certifications: standard
THE BREW:
method: Bonmac
grind: 18, Preciso
coffee: 32 g
water: 450 mL
bloom: 1:00
pour: 1:00 pour, :05 stir, 1:00 stir, 1:00 drop
THE COFFEE:
Oh my goodness. The Guatemala La Esperanza’s aroma is incredible, and it absolutely erupts out of the bag as soon as I rip open the packaging; and it fills my entire kitchen with scents of sugary sweets and juicy red fruits.
Ooh, baby. Hot damn. The first few sips of this coffee immediately post-brew are absolutely amazing. A beautifully creamy, buttery texture slowly rolls over the palate, presenting sweet flavors of vanilla cake batter, brown sugar, nougat, bittersweet chocolate chips, and a very slight cinnamon spiciness that nips the tip of the tongue.
As the coffee cools off, it gets even more incredible; massive fruit juiciness pushes through the surface. Now I’m getting some really nice flavors of apple, cherry, red grape, and clementine acidity.
Medium body; creamy mouthfeel; citrus acidity; clean finish.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Two years ago, Kuma Coffee released their Guatemala Bella Carmona and it has since become something of coffee lore. Even two years later, I know of many people that still sing its praises; me included. That coffee was absolutely incredible and truly special. And, honestly, I didn’t think we’d ever have another Guatemala at the Table that would ever top the Bella Carmona.
Dear Reader—I have found that coffee. And I don’t think it’s irony at all that coffee, once again, comes from Kuma Coffee.
Their Guatemala La Esperanza is, to put in scientific terms, 100% bonkers. It has everything you could possibly want in a coffee: it’s sweet, it’s spicy, it’s juicy, it’s fruity, it’s… It’s everything. And it’s amazing.
I don’t know if this will be the best coffee of the year for me, but it will be a very tough contender for that honor.
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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.