Guatemala Santa Rosa Region | La Loma Washed Pacamara and Catuai Varietals

Guatemala Santa Rosa Region | Finca Guatalon - La Loma Washed Pache and Catuai Flavor Notes

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The Santa Rosa mountain region of Guatemala lies in the Jalapa district, not far from the capital, Guatemala City, which makes it possible to visit in a single day. What interests me most about the area is the Guatalon family, which has cultivated coffee across three generations and shown fast, continuous improvement in quality. They farm four carefully managed lots, and the La Loma lot in particular is sometimes sold on its own as La Loma Estate. Customers at Oushe have especially fond memories of the 2014 La Loma, and many have asked about the new crop. Near Santa Rosa, the road approaching La Loma becomes very rough, with valleys dropping 300 meters beside the road, but on a clear day the distant scenery is extremely beautiful.

The third-generation Anthony met me through Cup of Excellence events. He told me his family's coffee history: "My grandfather Daniel bought La Roma in 1910 and started growing coffee. At first he planted Typica and Mundo Novo. Before the 1970s we sold the harvested fresh cherries straight to middlemen, and income was very limited."

"After my father took over, he decided to build a wet processing mill, expand capacity, and add Pache and Catuai varieties. He invested heavily in equipment and increased production. We decided to switch to selling processed parchment beans," Anthony continued. "But the income from parchment beans still did not match the effort we put in. For years we worked hard to improve quality, yet buyers kept complaining that it was not good enough. We thought that once we had our own equipment and washing station, quality would improve, but then they raised different objections to avoid paying higher prices." Without any sign of annoyance, he went on: "When middlemen come to negotiate, they usually have the final say. I know international green coffee prices. Only when prices are high will they pay a little more, but there is always a gap between what they pay and what I know our quality deserves. So my father decided to enter the Cup of Excellence competition. The 2011 results were not ideal. My father brought in consultants who understand specialty coffee to help. In 2012 we reached the semi-finals, nearly making the international finals, and that is where I met you at a coffee farmers' conference." He smiled, clearly cherishing how we met.

La Loma Estate sits at roughly 1,650 to 1,700 meters above sea level. The farm is made up mostly of steep mountain slopes, which makes the work very hard for the laborers. Before arriving at the estate, I introduced the idea of the Pearl Harvesting Plan, whose essence is to select premium estates and harvest only ripe fruit with a sugar content above 20.

Cupping Notes

Delicate with excellent body, noticeable sweetness, honey, hazelnut chocolate, berries, and lime, a pleasant mouthfeel, and smooth sweet juice notes that linger. Honey, chocolate, berries, and floral notes in the finish.

Coffee Information

Country: Guatemala

Region: Jalapa

Estate Name: Finca Guatalon - La Loma lot

Altitude: 1,650-1,750 meters

Varieties: Pache, Catuai

Processing Method: Traditional washed

Cupping Profile:

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Recommendations

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal R-440 grind setting 3.5

Brewing Method: 1:15 water-to-coffee ratio with 15g of coffee. First pour 25g of water and let it steam for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g, then stop. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops halfway, then continue a slow pour until the total reaches 225g. Extraction time about 2:00.

Analysis: The three-stage method clearly separates the front, middle, and back-end flavors. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, pausing the pour can extend the extraction time.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

A washed Guatemalan coffee like La Loma rewards a clean, even extraction, and the way the Pache and Catuai varieties are handled here is a good reminder of what washing does. Washing is a traditional way of processing coffee fruit with water: it typically involves flotation, pulping, a soak to ferment and break down the mucilage, rinsing or further soaking, drying, and finally hulling to release the beans. Because the beans spend a long time in water, they undergo chemical changes that consume much of their simple sugars (fructose and glucose), lowering total sugar content while increasing various organic acids. As a result, washed coffee tends to keep more of the bean's own aroma and to finish bright, clean, and fresh.

That clean, sweet profile is exactly what FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Gedingding delivers. Many drinkers know Yirgacheffe, but not that smallholder yields are pooled and processed at a cooperative; FrontStreet Gedingding is an excellent processing team from Gedingding village with skilled experience, known for especially delicate, clean coffee. The washed process brings out its jasmine florals and bright citrus acidity to the fullest, and a medium-light roast adds green-tea and honey tones. It suits pour-over, cold brew, and espresso.

When it comes to washing, FrontStreet Kenya Cherry Tomato is one of the best-known examples, since Kenya excels at the double-wash method: the beans are washed, soaked, washed again, dried, hulled, and stored through repeated cycles that push the juice-like character to the maximum. Expect cherry tomato, smoked plum, snow pear, black plum, and brown sugar, with a tart, juicy body.

And for a balanced, low-acid coffee, FrontStreet Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 shows what washing can do for a classic cup. Jamaica suffers from limited sunshine, and its island climate means shorter daylight than most origins, so the washed process was adopted to reduce spoilage risk: removing skin, pulp, and mucilage before drying cuts the moisture around the bean and shortens drying time, producing bright, low-defect beans. The result is a rich aroma of hazelnut, cream, chocolate, and caramel in a cup where nothing stands out too far or falls short.