How to Make Pour-Over Coffee from Guatemala's Finca La Perla Estate | What Does Finca La Perla Taste Like

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Guatemala El Quiché Finca La Perla Estate

Country: Guatemala

Region: El Quiché Department, Finca La Perla Estate

Owner: Arenas Family

Altitude: 1,100-1,800 meters

Varieties: Bourbon and Caturra

Processing Method: Washed

Roast Level: Medium

Aroma/Flavor: Jasmine, sugarcane, malic acid

Overall Evaluation: Delightful citrus notes, rich body, sweet aftertaste with a long-lasting finish

La Perla Estate (Finca in Spanish) is located on the steep hills of the western highlands of Guatemala, in an area known as the El Quiché region. This region is famous for its indigenous culture and spectacular scenic beauty. The name 'La Perla' comes from Ixil (the local Mayan language) and means "Sleeping Beauty." Despite experiencing conflicts due to the civil war that occurred between 1960 and 1996, La Perla has been producing coffee for 75 years. The ability to continue production—especially considering they often found themselves caught in battles between army and guerrilla opponents—is a testament to the courage and determination of their workers.

Once the fighting ended, the owners of La Perla—the Arenas family—devoted considerable time, energy, and resources to helping local refugees. They provided them with employment, healthcare (such as vaccinations), and resettlement—often by rebuilding entire villages! Today, they can see numerous small settlements throughout the estate that collectively accommodate 2,500-3,000 local Maya people.

Many local residents work on the farm and grow food to meet their own needs. The strength of the local community is evident, with an association of over 500 workers having been formed, focused on mutual support and assistance to improve the living standards of all residents.

La Perla's coffee grows on high soil and sandy ground at altitudes of 1,200-1,800 meters, covering a limestone base. The Arenas family is meticulous in coffee production. The cherries are picked (by hand) only after reaching perfect maturity, then either wet-milled or sun-dried, or by mechanical means (the latter is used when weather conditions are unfavorable). Their dedication and passion have been rewarded time and again, receiving the Presidential Award at the 2006 Cup of Excellence ceremony and participating in five auctions between 2001 and 2011.

Only 15% of the estate's vast land is planted with coffee (Caturra and Bourbon), with about 30% left to native forest. These areas provide sanctuary for local and indigenous flora and fauna. In addition to coffee, the farm also grows cardamom, macadamia nuts, and various other grains. Besides the 5,000-5,500 millimeters of rainfall the region receives annually, there are abundant other water sources, including rivers (Ixtupil and Sacsiwan) and multiple natural springs, all of which, along with ideal temperatures, ensure the production of specialty flavored coffee.

How to Brew Guatemala's [La Perla Estate] Coffee Well?

FrontStreet Coffee's Hand Brew Reference: Weigh 15g of [La Perla Estate] coffee grounds, pour into a grinder for medium grinding. The ground particles should be slightly coarser than table salt. We use BG grinder setting 5R (60% standard sieve pass rate), water temperature 89°C, extracted with a V60 dripper.

The hot water in the pour-over kettle should be poured in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the filter. Start timing when brewing begins, pour coffee to 30g within 15 seconds, then stop pouring. When the time reaches 1 minute, pour the second time. For the second pour, proceed as before: pour in clockwise circles centered on the middle of the filter. The water stream should not hit the area where coffee grounds connect with the filter paper to avoid channel effects.

When pouring the coffee grounds to the outermost circle, leave a margin, then continue pouring in circles toward the center. At 2 minutes and 20 seconds, the coffee should reach 220g, completing the brew.

Japanese-Style Iced Pour-Over [La Perla Estate]

FrontStreet Coffee's Iced Pour-Over [La Perla Estate] Reference:

Guatemala coffee [La Perla Estate], light-medium roast, BG grinder setting 5M (67% standard sieve pass rate)

20 grams of coffee grounds, 150 grams of ice, 150 grams of hot water. The water temperature should be 1°C higher than the normal 90°C recommended for hand brew. Normal grinding is Fuji 3.5 setting, while iced pour-over uses slightly finer at Fuji 3 setting.

Bloom with 40 grams of water for 30 seconds.

Segmented pouring: first segment with 60 grams of water, second segment with 40 grams of water. A relatively fine but high water column was used for pouring, forcefully stirring and impacting to ensure thorough rolling of the coffee grounds. However, attention should be paid to keeping the liquid level not too high and avoiding hitting the edge filter paper.

The entire extraction time is approximately 2.5 minutes (similar to the normal extraction time for 20 grams of coffee).

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