How to Brew Guatemala Las Luchas Estate Coffee Powder and Introduce Guatemala Pour-Over Coffee

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Las Luchas Estate: A Gem of Guatemala's Huehuetenango Highlands

Las Luchas Estate is located in the Huehuetenango highlands of Guatemala, where coffee is cultivated at elevations between approximately 1,200-1,600 meters. The total cultivation area spans about 91.5 hectares, mostly on steep slopes. Although the estate owner must invest more manpower in care and harvesting, the coffee trees, in their struggle against the harsh environment, produce exceptionally sweet coffee cherries.

Estate History and Organic Practices

The coffee trees at Las Luchas Estate are interplanted among native forests, allowing various indigenous trees to serve as natural shade. Leonardo Perez acquired Las Luchas Estate in 1971 when it was in a semi-abandoned state. After ten years of efforts to improve the cultivation environment and investment in wet processing equipment, annual production increased to two container loads. In 1987, Leonardo passed the torch to his son William Perez, who continued implementing various farm improvements, including fertilization improvement programs, variety cultivation, and water resource recycling.

In 1992, the estate obtained organic cultivation certification, eliminating the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Instead, they use homemade vermicompost organic fertilizer: a mixture of coffee pulp, fallen leaves, pruned coffee branches, and cow manure. They also utilize shade, adjusted planting density, manual weeding, and extensive organic mulch to prevent weed proliferation. Due to the estate's organic farming methods combined with nearby vast primary forests, it has become a natural sanctuary for native flowers and wildlife, as well as an excellent bird-watching destination.

Social Responsibility

The estate also provides thoughtful care for its employees, offering dormitories equipped with drinking water, electricity, and modern bathrooms, as well as establishing a primary school for employees' children.

Harvesting and Processing

The harvest season runs from November to February of the following year. Fully ripe coffee cherries are hand-picked and depulped on the same day, followed by washed fermentation. The parchment beans are then spread on cement patios for sun-drying. Wastewater from coffee processing is purified in three oxidation ponds before being discharged into rivers to prevent water pollution.

Cupping Profile

This batch of Las Luchas Estate light roast exhibits prominent walnut and peanut aromas in the dry fragrance. The wet aroma reveals sweet and sour notes of red grapes with brown sugar sweetness. The cupping experience presents a smooth mouthfeel with gentle citrus and red plum sweet and sour notes, displaying distinct juiciness. The medium-dark roast offers persistent caramel sweetness, smooth oils, milk chocolate bittersweetness, and sweet spice aromas including cinnamon.

How to Brew Guatemala's Las Luchas Estate Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee Pour-over Recommendation:

Weigh 15g of Las Luchas 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). Water temperature at 89°C, brewed using a V60 dripper.

Pour hot water from the pour-over kettle in clockwise circles, centered on the middle of the filter. Start timing as you begin brewing. Within 15 seconds, brew the coffee to 30g, then stop pouring. At the 1-minute mark, begin the second pour. Similar to the first, pour in clockwise circles centered on the filter, ensuring the water stream doesn't hit where the coffee grounds meet the filter paper to avoid channel effects.

Leave one circle unbrewed at the outermost edge of the coffee grounds, then continue pouring circle by circle toward the center. At 2 minutes and 20 seconds, the coffee should reach 220g, completing the brewing process.

Japanese-style Iced Pour-over: Las Luchas Estate

FrontStreet Coffee Iced Pour-over Recommendation:

Guatemala's Las Luchas Estate, light-medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M (67% standard sieve pass-through)

20g coffee grounds, 150g ice cubes, 150g hot water. Water temperature should be 1°C higher than the normal 90°C recommendation for standard pour-over. Normal grind setting for the Fuji grinder is 3.5, while for iced pour-over, use a slightly finer setting of 3.

Bloom with 40g of water for 30 seconds.

Segmented pouring: first segment with 60g water, second segment with 40g water. Use a relatively fine but high water column to stir forcefully, ensuring the coffee grounds roll thoroughly. However, be careful to keep the liquid level from rising too high and avoid hitting the filter paper at the edges.

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

Important Notice :

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