Guatemala Antigua Bella Carmona Crown Jewel - 12oz. Bag

Intro

This is a fully washed and patio-dried coffee from the Antigua Valley of the Sacatepéquez department, Guatemala. It is produced by 18 farms and managed by Luis Pedro Zelaya Zamora.

The flavor profile offers hints of melon, caramel and chocolate cake with full-bodied sweetness.

Origin Information

Grower - 18 farms managed by Luis Pedro Zelaya Zamora
Cultivar - Bourbon, dwarf Bourbon, red caturra, yellow caturra, catimor hybrids
Soil - Volcanic loam
Region - Antigua Valley, Sacatepéquez department, Guatemala
Harvest - October - February
Elevation - 1500 – 1650 masl
Process - Fully washed and patio-dried

Flavor

Melon, caramel and chocolate cake

Roast

We roasted this batch of Guatemala to a medium roast. Depending on the grind and brewing method, this Guatemala Antigua Crown Jewel can produce hints of melon, caramel and chocolate cake.

Brewing

As with most Top-Shelf coffees, we suggest using the pour-over method to maximized the aroma and flavor of this Crown Jewel coffee using a 1:16 coffee to water ratio with the water between 200F and 205F. Once grounds are placed in the filter, pre-soak grounds by covering with water for ~30sec to allow for blooming, then finish with either a steady pour or a couple of short pours to complete the brewing process.

Coffee Background

Bella Carmona is one of the most superb regional blends a roaster can find in Central America. Originally named after the Zelaya family’s Hacienda Carmona, the blend now encompasses 18 farms that span the historic Antigua valley. Luis Pedro and his team at the Bella Vista wet mill not only personally manage each of these farms; they also work like perfectionists at the cupping table to maintain the quality of the blend, shipping what they believe is a true representation of the Antigua valley’s volcanic and bourbon-based terroir. We buy a variety of Bella Carmona coffees each year and they routinely astound us with how early they arrive and how crisp and sweet they taste.

Processing Detail & Quality Control

Cherries are delivered daily at Bella Vista from all over the valley. Processing is separated into numerous channels that represent Bella Carmona farms, Hunapú farms, and microlots such as single estates, single smallholders, or growers from elsewhere in Guatemala that Bella Vista represents. Once inspected and weighed, cherry is depulped and fermented overnight in one of the mill’s many tanks, washed clean the next day, and patio-dried.  

Each individual batch of cherry is tracked electronically using a software created by Bella Vista, and drying or finished parchment is tagged with a QR code that allows the team to scan and review the exact blend in each batch, by contributing farm or farmer, variety, and location. This traceability follows each lot to the cupping table, where the Bella Vista team approves individual day lots for blending and shipment.