Guatemala Finca Rosma “La Pila” Espresso
Guatemala Finca Rosma Espresso
Earlier this year I had a zoom meeting with Alejandro, Fredy’s son. It was such a great conversation and I didn’t feel I had earned my place in the room as we don’t buy large quantities of coffee from them. La Pila is our best Guatemalan coffee of 2024. I will spare you the analogies, but will share that we had some outstanding responses to this coffee last year.
After a few profiles, we found that Guatemala Finca Rosma La Pila worked best as either a great filter or an espresso. There was too much of a compromise with a one roast. Unlike the filter roast, when you consider how most people brew espresso and what they do with it, the outcome in the cup will almost be the opposite. More below.
Finca Rosma is well renowned as a top coffee producer in Huehuetenango and has been winning national and international competitions since 2010.
Top Trumps
Farm; Rosma
Lot: la Pila (The Pillar)
Size: 13.9 Hectares
Country: Guatemala
Owner: Dr. Fredy Morales
Nearest Town: San Pedro Necta
Region: Huehuetenango
Altitude: 1710-1880 Meters above sea level.
Varietals: Caturra and Red Bourbon
Process: Fully Washed and Dried undercover.
Roast: Espresso Roast.
Espresso Potential:
Aromatics; Chocolate Orange | Body Silky | Acidity: Orange|
9oz Milk-based drinks. This is a dream with whole milk, You get a lovely milk-chocolatey base flavour with underlying orange citrus coming through.
6oz Milk-based drinks. Deeper chocolate and more of the sweet citrus.
Espresso: Now we are talking! Soft sweet orange, cocoa, dark chocolate, followed by a long citrus finish.
Recipe
Our standard recipe worked really well. We usually set our espresso machines to 94C for espresso roasts. Set up using a La Marzocco classic AV, a Mahlkonig E65, and also a Niche Zero. The Niche worked well around 17.
Milk-based drinks: 17g of coffee into 34-36g of espresso liquid in 25-30 seconds.
Espresso: 17g into 45-50g of espresso liquid in 26-32 seconds. I enjoyed shots 30 seconds plus.
Farm info
In 1963, Don Alejandro Morales bought this farm, with old bourbon and typica trees on it. In 1980, his son Dr. Fredy Morales inherited the farm and named it Rosma (short for Rosemary) after his wife. Back then, there was no road and everything was moved by mule. Alongside the community of Caserío Buena Vista, together they built a road to Rosma, benefitting the whole community. Bringing fresh spring water (5Km) to the farm was one of their greatest achievements. La Pilar (The Pillar) is of the water storage tank that is used to irrigate the farm.This has allowed them to run an ecological wet mill and also process great washed coffees.
Since 2010 Rosma has been highly placed in the Guatemala Cup of Excellence and been producing some incredible coffees. Here is what they wrote about it, at the Cup of Excellence in 2010
Why not share your brews with us?
