Guatemala Blue Ayarza Natural
About This Coffee
The Region
The region of Ayarza is a special one, landmarked by the drastic landscape and cold blue water from the Laguna de Ayarza and Laguna Azul. The lake was formed by two massive volcanos that collapsed and formed a large crater.
The legends surrounding this lake are numerous and the bottom has never been found. There is a large white rock of a petrified woman who didn’t follow the orders of Jesus. In short, there are simply too many good stories about Ayarza to do it justice!
Olam Guatemala always knew the region had massive potential to produce specialty coffee, but the cups that we found were usually solid but unsurprising. Two years ago we rented a wet mill at 1,500 meters on a RFA certified farm. The quality coming from our washed coffee was much better than we expected. Next we tried some naturals by buying cherry in Ayarza and transporting it to a region that had plenty of patios and good wind for drying. This has now been extended to include honey process alongside experimental lots.
The Process
We believe that the cherries for natural processing need to come from high altitudes and employ near-perfect pickings which is why our sourcing is focused on local small batch deliveries from trusted partners who provide us with consistent high quality ripe cherry.
While there is an abundance of quality cherry in the region and a few areas that reach 2,000 meters altitude, the terrain is not ideal for processing naturals. Ayarza is remote and rough with almost no flat land available. For this reason we transport selected cherries to the neighbouring region of Amatitilan. This region was famous for coffee production many years ago but the climate has changed and the conditions here are now ideal for the processing of Naturals. The sun is hot, but the breeze keeps the temperature under control.
We start with the cherry in a depth of 4-6 inches and turn it often during the day. Over the first few days the coffee turns from red or yellow to a deep purple then black. We finish the drying in a mechanical drier for a few hours. This avoids a common challenge in sun dried naturals where the coffee re absorbs humidity in the morning then dries during the day and repeats until there are a few days of strong sun. We also find that the acidity is improved when finished in a drier (and it reduces the risk of the coffee getting caught in an untimely rain shower!)
- Subregion Lake Ayarza, Santa Rosa
- Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
- Processing Natural/Dry Processed
- Bag Types Grain Pro / Ecotact
- Plant Species Arabica
- Variety Bourbon, Catuai, Pache, Anacafe 14, San Ramon
- Min Growing Altitude 1400m
- Max Growing Altitude 2000m
- Screen Size 15 Up
- On Sale No
- Top Lot No
- Price Per Kg £7.50
- Status Spot
- Coffee Grade GTM CA WA SHB FANCY
- CTRM Contract Number P8001974-3
- Origin Guatemala
- Warehouse Vollers Group Uk
