GUATEMALAN QUETZAL ANTIGUA PULCAL COFFEE

Hacienda Carmona has been managed by octogenarian, Maria Zelaya since 1959. The speciality of Carmona, grown in a section of the farm called Inteligente, is sold as Cafe Pulcal. It has long been considered the most complete tasting coffee in the world. It is harvested from both the red and yellow heirloom 'Bourbon' varietal of coffee bush. The beans are washed in pure, crystal clear mountain water to remove most of the fruit, then dried naturally in the sun and, remarkably, because the cherries have been picked so precisely, aside from hulling, need no further processing. With a total production of under 800 bags, we always feel privileged to be able to buy some. Tasting notes from the Cup of Excellence competition include berry, tangerine, caramel, sweet spices, dark chocolate, lime, kiwi, buttery, honey, caramelized sugar, plum, pineapple, melon, blackberry, cherry, and orange. We love its almost Nutella like quality and the hints of lemony, freshly milled pepper. The flavour is like chocolate, caramel and orange with a fig-like sweetness. Hacienda Carmona is located in Antigua Guatemala, Sacatepequez. The estate is in a micro-climate area and situated at nearly 6,000 feet. Every once in a while, Fuego - "one of Guatemala's three active volcanoes" - adds a fresh dusting of mineral-rich ash to Antigua's soil. Volcanic pumice in the soil retains moisture, which helps offset the low rainfall, the lowest of Guatemala's seven coffee regions. Like all of Guatemala's speciality coffee, Antigua coffee is cultivated under shade. In Antigua, the shade is especially dense to protect the coffee trees from the region's occasional frost during the chilly nights from December to February. The dense shade combined with the region's shallow water table produces a distinct microclimate within the coffee fields.