Pour-over Flavor Characteristics of Guatemala Santa Isabel Estate Coffee - Is Santa Isabel Coffee Good to Drink?

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Santa Isabel Estate: A Premier Guatemalan Coffee Farm

Santa Isabel Estate is located in the northern part of Alta Verapaz, San Cristóbal province, Guatemala, surrounded by extraordinary mountain scenery, rainforests, and impressive vegetation. It is situated close to Cobán, a region known for producing strictly hard beans. The estate sits at an altitude of 4,500 feet (1,372 meters) with an annual rainfall of 3,000mm. Coffee trees bloom from April to June, and the harvest period runs from December to April.

The estate was established as a coffee plantation in 1875, granted to the current owner's great-grandfather by the then-President of Guatemala. In fact, it wasn't until the fourth and fifth generations that coffee cultivation truly began in earnest.

Santa Isabel Estate encompasses 187 hectares of coffee fields, producing different varieties of strictly hard beans (Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Pache). With an annual production of nearly 2,000 bags (69KG bags) of green coffee beans, the estate exports to various countries including Denmark, Germany, Finland, Britain, France, Australia, and Italy. In the United States, their coffee is sold to various companies including Starbucks. The estate was also the 3rd place winner in the 2012 Guatemala Cup of Excellence competition.

Environmental Responsibility

The estate's coffee cultivation process places great emphasis on environmental responsibility. They preserve natural forests and maintain 100 hectares of regenerated forest planted with pine and cypress trees. These initiatives help conserve the estate's natural water resources and provide habitats for various animals, deer, birds, and squirrels. Additionally, coffee cherry pulp is used as organic fertilizer.

Quality Control Process

In terms of quality, the estate focuses on every step of production from seed selection to storage. Coffee is hand-harvested, particularly by women. The beans are then processed in ecological wet mills to reduce water consumption, and the water is recycled. The coffee beans are dried using two methods: natural sun drying or, depending on weather conditions, using Guatemalan dryers.

Coffee Specifications

Region: Cobán

Altitude: 3,000-4,000 feet

Soil: Rainforest soil

Shade Trees: Inga

Average Temperature: 15-20°C

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai

Processing: Semi-fermentation method + water resting

Flavor: Lively floral notes, delicate and prominent fruit acidity, cream, caramel, tobacco

Mouthfeel: Balanced sweet and sour, syrupy consistency, subtle red wine sensation

Roast Level: Medium-light

Brewing Guide: How to Perfectly Brew Santa Isabel Estate Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-over Reference: Weigh 15g of Santa Isabel Estate coffee beans and grind them to a medium consistency - slightly coarser than table salt. We use a BG grinder setting of 5R (60% standard sieve pass-through rate). Water temperature should be 89°C, using a V60 dripper for extraction.

Pour hot water from the gooseneck kettle in clockwise circles, starting from the center of the filter. Begin timing as you start brewing. Within 15 seconds, brew the coffee to 30g, then stop pouring. When the timer reaches 1 minute, begin the second pour. For the second pour, follow the same technique: clockwise circles from the center, avoiding the area where coffee grounds meet the filter paper to prevent channel effects.

When pouring to the outer edge of the coffee grounds, leave a small circle, then continue brewing in circles toward the center. At 2 minutes and 20 seconds, you should have brewed 220g of coffee. The brewing process is complete.

Japanese-style Iced Pour-over: Santa Isabel Estate

FrontStreet Coffee Iced Pour-over Santa Isabel Estate Reference:

Guatemala Santa Isabel Estate, light-medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M (67% standard sieve pass-through rate)

20g coffee grounds, 150g ice cubes, 150g hot water. Water temperature should be 1°C higher than the recommended 90°C for regular pour-over. Use a Fuji grinder at setting 3.5 for regular brewing, but slightly finer - Fuji setting 3 - for iced pour-over.

Bloom with 40g of water for 30 seconds.

Segmented pouring: first pour 60g of water, second pour 40g of water. Use a fine but high water column with forceful stirring impact to ensure the coffee grounds tumble thoroughly. However, be careful not to let the liquid level get too high or pour onto the edge filter paper.

The entire extraction time should be approximately 2.5 minutes (similar to the normal extraction time for 20g of coffee grounds).

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473