Guatemala Finca Los Arcos Filter Roast
Guatemala Finca Los Arcos
Last year, we bought some Guatemala Finca Los Arcos and quietly enjoyed it. In some ways, we didn’t appreciate how other people feel about straightforward, sweet and delicious coffees. I recently took some Los Arcos to a family event and committed the cardinal sins of not taking a grinder or scales. Somehow, the coffee still tasted great with a bit of “eyeballing” the volume and I can’t confess to the grinder. It worked.
This season, Guatemalan coffees have all increased by about 20% again.
In terms of quality, Los Arcos is comparable to a super premium Brazilian coffee in a filter.
Top Trumps
Farm, Los Arcos
Country: Guatemala
Owner: Osmin Garcia
Nearest Town: Mataquescuintla
Region: Jalapa within New Oriente,
Altitude: 1900 Meters above sea level.
Varietals: Pache’ and Red Catuai
Shade Trees: Cuje and Gravilea
Production: 10 Tons
Process: Washed and sun-dried on the patio.
Roast: Filter Roast. (Light)
Cup Potential
|Aromatics: Caramel Body: Light- Heavier when cooling| Acidity: Low and sweet|
On opening, Los Arcos is juicy and sweet like red grapes. When brewed well, it just gets sweeter and sweeter. Although this is a light roast, there is a little dark chocolate mingling amongst the brown sugars. The body increases on cooling. There is also a nutty note and some subtle tannins. This is simply light, easy and delicious and not too fussy to brew.
The rules are, there are no rules, if you are enjoying it!
Farm info
Osmin Garcis has been working with Thirdwave Coffee Source since the early days. The name Thirdwave aged quickly and transitioned into Primavera Coffee. This is because no one knew what the third wave was.
As a third-generation farmer, you are always looking to improve. In recent times, Osmin has built a new wet mill, allowing him to control his harvests. In the future, he plans to produce some honey and naturally processed coffees too. The processing is all very standard for the region. Hand-picking the ripest cherries in multiple passes, sorting out the unripe, de-pulping and fermenting for about 36 hours. The coffee is then rinsed and dried on the patio for 4-5 days. This is pretty quick, compared to other parts of the world. The coffee is then taken in parchment down to the dry mill for further sorting and export preparation.
Guatemala Finca Los Arcos is seductively sweet, with low acidity and will be a fantastic single-origin espresso again.
Why not share your brews with us?
We have sourced this coffee via Primavera where we source our early-season Guatemalan coffees. They are award-winning in their model and though a young company, they are also coffee producers and processors.