What Does Guatemala Cloud Estate Pacamara Pour-Over Coffee Taste Like_Is Pacamara Suitable for Pour-Over

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Cloud Manor Estate Story

Antigua

The Antigua producing region itself is the most famous among Guatemala's eight major producing regions. With its high altitude, unique volcanic soil, and shade-grown cultivation, coffee beans from the Antigua region have distinctive flavors. The town of Antigua in Guatemala, with its once-glorious Mayan civilization and rich artistic atmosphere, has amazed many Westerners. Founded in 1543, Antigua has experienced multiple earthquakes but has been deliberately preserved with its cobblestone roads and magnificent Baroque architecture. The urban buildings are full of ancient charm yet vibrantly colorful. Interestingly, they are neatly arranged in a checkerboard pattern, with each block approximately 100 square meters. What appears to be an unremarkable small door might open up to reveal a spacious courtyard or garden mansion. Antigua is located next to the Pacific Ocean, with abundant rainfall and significant day-night temperature differences. The raw coffee beans have an enchanting grassy aroma, high bean density, and hardness, resulting in multi-layered flavors after roasting.

Cloud Manor Estate

Cloud Manor Estate began growing coffee in the 1970s. Located in Antigua, Guatemala, on the slopes of the Acatenango volcano, it sits at an altitude of 1500 to 1800 meters, covering an area of 53 hectares with an annual output of about 58 metric tons. It is a member of the Antigua Coffee Growers Association. The current estate owner is Pedro Echeverria. The geographical environment here keeps the estate surrounded by clouds and mist throughout the year, hence the name "Cloud Manor." The water vapor contained in the clouds surrounding the estate is absorbed by the coffee trees, nourishing the fertile soil of the volcanic region. The estate is located in the Antigua region, situated on the slopes of the Acatenango volcano, at an altitude between 1530-1860 meters. The unique geographical environment means the estate is often surrounded by clouds and mist, thus earning the name Las Nubes (Clouds). The pure water vapor from the clouds, fertile volcanic soil, natural shade trees, rich planting experience, and advanced techniques collectively contribute to the exceptional quality of this Pacamara coffee.

Pacamara Coffee Bean Variety Introduction

Pacamara, a new hybrid born in El Salvador in 1958, is a cross between the Bourbon-derived Pacas and the Typica-derived Maragogype. It combines the advantages of both but surpasses them! Pure and gentle, rich and smooth, with lively acidity, full-bodied flavor, and a long, impressive aftertaste.

In the 2005 El Salvador Cup of Excellence (COE), Pacamara stunned everyone. Among the top ten, Pacamara beans remarkably secured second, fifth, sixth, and seventh places!

In 2007, the Pacamara variety won the double championship of both Guatemala and El Salvador COE. Since then, Pacamara has been unstoppable on the award-winning path, consistently ranking at the top of major competitions and internationally recognized as a rising star variety comparable to Geisha.

Just in Guatemala's COE, Pacamara has sat on the championship throne for 7 out of 10 years between 2008-2017.

Due to Pacamara's extraordinary performance in competitions, in 2017, the BOP (Best of Panama) international competition committee decided to create a separate category for the Pacamara variety.

However, despite its remarkable success, this variety still has disadvantages: Pacamara has higher requirements for soil, climate, environment, and altitude. Additionally, it has low yield and poor resistance to leaf rust disease, resulting in its limited cultivation popularity.

Today, although Pacamara is no longer particularly rare, it is still not a very common bean in the market. Especially, Pacamara from Guatemala and El Salvador is considered superior, with many international pursuers, making it even more difficult to obtain domestically.

Processing Method Introduction

Washed Process

The washed process technique was invented by the Dutch in the 18th century. Since it often rains and humidity is high in some countries, making the natural process impossible to implement, although the process is relatively tedious, it is currently the most widely used processing method. The biggest difference from the natural process is the use of fermentation to remove the mucilage layer.

Washed Process - Processing Steps

The first three steps are the same as the natural process (1. Harvest mature coffee fruits 2. Initially remove impurities and defective beans 3. Screen floating beans)

4. Remove pulp and skin: The selected good coffee fruits are put into a pulp screener to remove the outer skin and pulp, leaving the seeds (coffee beans).

5. Ferment to remove mucilage: Coffee seeds with a layer of mucilage are placed in fermentation tanks, where biological processing uses fermentation bacteria to dissolve the mucilage.

6. Wash to remove impurities: Since fermentation bacteria remain on the coffee beans, the beans need to be sent to washing pools for cleaning and a second screening (defective beans will float on the water surface). This step requires large amounts of clean water to ensure thorough cleaning.

7. Coffee bean drying: Usually, machines (or sun-drying) are used to dry the coffee fruits until the moisture content drops to 10-14%.

8. Remove parchment and silver skin: Finally, a huller is used to remove the remaining parchment and silver skin, completing the processing. The raw beans can then be packaged and shipped!

Washed Process - Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages: Coffee beans have fewer impurities and more complete appearance. Since the pulp of coffee fruits is removed at the beginning, there's no need to worry about mold issues, resulting in more stable overall quality.

Disadvantages: The washed process is complex and tedious, requiring large amounts of water, making it relatively more expensive than the natural process. It is also less used in water-scarce regions.

Pacamara Coffee Roasting Recommendations/Analysis

This coffee variety is the large-bean Pacamara with relatively large particles and high density. New season beans themselves have higher moisture content. During the roasting process, heat absorption is slower, but the Maillard reaction process is faster. The yellowing point occurs around 5 minutes. For the first roast, you can try a slightly higher bean drop temperature, such as 200°C entry temperature, with relatively higher heat. During the roasting process, gradually reduce the heat as needed: after the beans enter the yellowing point, reduce the heat to prolong dehydration time, allowing the large beans to fully dehydrate; after dehydration until before the first crack, appropriately maintain medium heat or slightly increase it to accelerate the Maillard reaction time and ensure pressure before the first crack; before signs of the first crack, appropriately reduce heat to avoid surface scorching. With this operating method, the coffee's dehydration time is relatively extended, with temperature increase rate of 6-8 degrees per thirty seconds, but it can still maintain normal entry into first crack between 8.5 to 9.5 minutes, preserving more floral and fruity aromas and retaining clean, bright acidity. It is generally recommended to drop the beans between the dense stage of first crack and the end of first crack, at a medium roast level.

Cupping Flavor Description

Subtle floral notes, gentle berry flavors, mixed acidity of strawberry and red wine, full sweetness, overall balanced and smooth, with a sweet and lasting aftertaste.

Brewing Analysis

Today, FrontStreet Coffee introduces commonly used hand-drip methods for Pacamara coffee: V60 three-stage pour-over method.

Three-Stage Pour-Over Method

Extract in stages, dividing all brewing water into three injections.

Suitable for light roast, medium-light roast, and medium roast coffee beans.

Use V60 dripper.

Increasing bloom time or the number of pour breaks can enhance the richness of coffee's mouthfeel.

Three-Stage Pour-Over Extraction Method

Advantages: More layered than single pour, clearly distinguishing the front, middle, and back-end flavors of coffee. The method is to increase water volume after each bloom, usually pouring when the coffee liquid is about to drop to the powder layer surface, using small, medium, and large water flows for three-stage extraction.

Disadvantages: Higher requirements for water flow rate and volume.

FrontStreet Coffee's Pacamara Coffee Hand-Drip Parameter Recommendations

Using a V60 dripper can enhance the layered flavor of hand-drip coffee, making it richer and cleaner; perfectly expressing the elevated, bright aroma of the Pacamara variety.

15g powder, water temperature 89-90°C, grind BG 5R (China standard 20-mesh screen pass rate 64%), water-to-powder ratio close to 1:15-16

Brewing Method

27g water for bloom, bloom time 30s. The hot water in the pour-over kettle circles clockwise around the center of the filter cup. Start timing when brewing begins, pour water to 27g, then stop pouring and wait 30 seconds for the first pour.

For the first pour, circle as before but at a slightly slower speed. Speed up slightly when reaching the outer circle. Stop pouring at about 1:15 seconds. When the liquid level drops by 1/3, pour again. For the second pour, concentrate on the center, avoiding water hitting the junction of coffee powder and filter paper to prevent channel effects. End extraction at about 2:05 seconds. The tail section can be discarded (the longer the time, the more astringency and rough texture will increase).

Stages: 30-125-230g

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