Finca San José Ocaña (Guatemala)

Finca San José Ocaña has been the home to the Sanchez Family for over 110 years. Originally used for forestry, the family possessed the vision and expertise to transform the land into a successful speciality coffee farm. The high altitude and rich clay soil are perfect conditions for growing the region’s quality coffee varietals, resulting in greater bean densities and complex flavour profiles.

 

This micro lot, specially reserved for only us, was selected to undergo a black honey processing method, which involves the removal of the cherry’s skin whilst leaving intact varying degrees of flesh known as mucilage before drying. The type of honey (yellow, red, black etc) is defined by the amount of mucilage left on the bean. The darker the honey, the more work is involved. In the case of black honey, all the mucilage is left attached which requires constant monitoring throughout the process. However, it is certainly worth the extra effort as the end result delivers a phenomenally fruity, sweet and full-bodied cup.

 

We are proud to have sourced this coffee in collaboration with Javier, founder of Caribbean Goods. Javier is a Guatemalan born and now Glasgow based coffee importer with an overwhelming passion for and knowledge of coffee. To Javier (and us) Guatemalan coffee is more than a commodity, more than a delicious drink. It is a way of life and an opportunity to support farms like San José Ocaña and their surrounding communities. This particular farm is very close to Javier’s heart as he has known the Sanchez family since he was child. He has fond memories of playing on the farm with his friend Cristián Sanchez after school.

 

Farm	Finca San José Ocaña
Varietal	Bourbon
Processing	Black Honey
Altitude	2000 meters above sea level
Owner	Sanchez Family
Region	San Juan Sacatepéquez