Guatemala Santa Felisa Estate Red Pacamara K72 Process: Coffee Characteristics & Story

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FrontStreet Coffee · Guatemala | Santa Felisa Estate Red Pacamara Elephant Bean K72 Kenya-style Washed Processing Flavor?

Pacamara is a hybrid variety created from Pacas and Maragogipe. Pacas is a variant of Bourbon, while Maragogipe is a variant of Typica. To combine the advantages of these two excellent varieties, Pacamara was named after the first letters of the Pacas and Maragogipe varieties. After 30 years of effort, the new Pacamara elephant bean variety was successfully created in 1980. Generally, Pacamara elephant beans offer rich flavors, pronounced wet aroma, creamy smoothness, elegant acidity, sweet chocolate, and subtle fruit notes.

The renowned Guatemalan coffee estate Santa Felisa was established in 1904 and is now managed by fourth-generation family members Anabella and Antonio. The estate is located in the Acatenango Valley, a region inhabited by Maya indigenous people, who continue to work in the coffee plantations to this day. At an altitude of 1,560-1,800 meters, the microclimate and fertile volcanic soil provide the coffee gardens with unique nutrients, allowing coffee beans to mature slowly and perfectly absorb more natural nutrients from the volcanic soil. Santa Felisa Estate practices eco-friendly farming methods, combining agricultural science with ancestral knowledge while respecting the local ecosystem and indigenous people. The meticulous eight processing methods, combined with diverse tree species, careful organic farming, and insistence on hand-picking coffee cherries at 21° Brix, all contribute to cultivating amazing coffee flavors that frequently rank among the top in COE competitions. Since 2011, the estate has held independent global auctions, which at that time was the only organic estate auction in the coffee industry.

"People play an important role in quality." This is why Santa Felisa cares for and respects every coffee worker on the estate like family, producing high-quality coffee beans while making tireless efforts in ecological protection. After leaf rust devastated Central America, there was deeper reflection on the importance and connection between environment and land. The estate is committed to:

• Reforestation and water source protection
• Using compost and avoiding herbicides to protect the soil
• Not cutting shade trees to maintain soil fertility and protect biodiversity
• Using soil-friendly nutrient supplements

In 2012, when leaf rust swept through Central America, many surrounding estates saw entire batches of coffee trees wither and die. However, the organically cared-for coffee trees at Santa Felisa remained robust and resisted the disease. When an even more severe leaf rust epidemic struck in 2013, reaching the point where chemical spraying became unavoidable, almost no organic estate in Central America was spared. Santa Felisa Estate unfortunately lost its organic certification.

Santa Felisa Estate now conducts leaf rust prevention three times a year, twice using organic methods and once using chemical agents out of necessity. Apart from this, all farming methods remain identical to those of the original organic certified estate.

Coffee farmers without organic certification, yet still insist on growing coffee using long-established ecological protection methods.

Coffee farmers without fair trade certification, yet still insist on respecting and caring for all coffee workers and families in the estate, treating generations of indigenous people with kindness.

Santa Felisa Estate's K72 processing method is: after removing the fruit skin, dry fermentation for 24 hours, then adding water to stop fermentation. This process is repeated twice to achieve 72 hours of fermentation, followed by soaking overnight before washing, then sun-drying. The characteristic flavor of Santa Felisa Estate's Kenya-style washed processing is a long-lasting throaty aftertaste and bright acidity.

Flavor: citrus notes, aged tangerine aroma, cherry, sweet persimmon, delicate plum acidity, roasted nuts + spices + chocolate, malt sugar, bright and clean, viscous and smooth, long-lasting sweetness.

Product Information

Product Name: FrontStreet Coffee Guatemala Santa Felisa Estate Red Pacamara Elephant Bean

Country: Guatemala

Variety: Red Pacamara Elephant Bean

Altitude: 1600m

Processing Method: K72 Processing Method

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing Method

Dripper: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 90°C

Grind Size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 3.5

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour 25g water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour to 120g, then stop pouring. Wait until the water level drops to half, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g. Extraction time approximately 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains faster, stopping the pour during brewing helps extend the extraction time.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473