We have been lucky enough to buy Guatemala Finca La Colina over a number of years. It is one of those coffees that delivers fantastic fruity coffee, year after year. La Colina regularly features in Chapin, too, our long-standing, darker roast Guatemalan espresso. There is an Espresso roast of La Colina here.
Farm: La Colina
Region: Antigua
Town: San Martin
Owner: Tony Medina
Varietal: Caturra
Processing: Fully washed and sun-dried on patios.
Size of Finca: 179 Hectares
Coffee produced:4000 kg (avg. Year)
Elevation: 1,700 meters above sea level.
Temperature:16 – 23ºC
Shade Trees: Inga
Roast level: Filter
La Colina is some 1700 Meters above sea level, and the name aptly translates into “The Hill Farm”. Tony inherited the land from his father, a bigger farm split between siblings, as often happens in farming families. He then named the farm La Colina.
In the beginning, Tony grew beans and corn, whilst learning about growing coffee from others. Coffee was the dream, and in 1991, he slowly started planting a few coffee plants; the rest is history. Currently, Tony is planning on diversifying into new varietals and also improving drying by using raised (or African) beds.
This season’s Finca La Colina is more subtle than previous years. The Brown fruit sweetness is still there with a cocoa base. If you look for them, the currants provide the soft acidity to balance the sweetness.
60g per Litre worked as a good place to start.
