Santa Isabel, Guatemala — November 2024
NOVEMBER SUBSCRIPTION
Possibly our favourite Guatemalan coffee of all time.
Santa Isabel, Guatemala
There are a few things that make Santa Isabel's quality and consistency stand out from other Guatemalan coffees.
Santa Isabel is a larger farm that separates its lots into varying qualities, but also varying flavour profiles. When a farm is large enough, it lends itself to meeting a variety of requirements for coffee roasters, which can make it a great source to help locate specific coffee varieties, processing methods, etc.
Each year we rely on samples from the importer, Melbourne Coffee Merchants, to make a selection on the type of profile we want for our lineup. For the past few years, we have opted for the profile that is the most floral/aromatic. While I would always describe Santa Isabel as floral, there is a selection of delicate aromas that are present in the cup and add a layer of overall complexity. The thing I find so special about Santa Isabel is the amount of acidity present in the coffee (for a Central American coffee) and also the clarity of the cup. Acidity and clarity are hallmarks of a Made of Many coffee.
The region of Coban, where the farm of Santa Isabel is located, is unique. It has a microclimate that is different from that of the Antigua region and the Huehuetenango region. Each of these areas has a different set of jungles and national parks that set them apart from each other. The area of Coban is rich in coffee culture with some of the most amazing coffee farms. This is an area with some of these more established estates and fewer smallholder farms that are part of a cooperative. Both have their place, but the estates can operate far more like a business, in the way of what they offer — different varieties, separated lots, catering to changes in coffee processing and separation based on flavour profiles or cupping (quality) scores. Cooperatives are great at giving you a snapshot of a region and looking at the area's natural terroir and how that affects the cup's profile. It is also dependent on each of the farmers processing the coffee in their own unique way, which while great, can create some inconsistencies when they are mixed together to create lots.
We hope you're enjoying Santa Isabel as much as we do! On another note, we are very much looking forward to the upcoming subscription coffees, as some of our favourite coffees are about to land from their long sea voyages!
Kindest regards,
Ben