Origin: Guatemala
Region: Antigua
Farm: Plantation Santo Tomas and El Vallecito
Process: fully-washed
Varietal(s): Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai
Altitude: 1460 masl
Region: Antigua
Farm: Plantation Santo Tomas and El Vallecito
Process: fully-washed
Varietal(s): Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai
Altitude: 1460 masl
Antigua is one of the most well known cities in the world regarding proximity to high quality coffee farms. Founded in 1542 by Spanish settlers, Antigua sits in the south-central portion of Guatemala as the capital city of the department of Sacatepéquez and has been officially declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. Many of the sites in Antigua are from the Spanish colonial era and are churches. This makes it all the more serendipitous that this particular coffee is named “Iglesias.”
Antigua Iglesias comes from Plantation Santo Tomas and El Vallecito. Both are located in Ciudad Vieja, just outside of Antigua proper nestled to the north by Volcano Agua, where the coffee is grown under Gravilea trees in the rich volcanic soil. These trees can reach heights over 100 feet and provide ample shelter and shade for the dwarfed in comparison yet burgeoning coffee trees.
While not a single varietal offering, consisting of 60% Bourbon and 40% Caturra and Catuai varietals, this coffee has been classified SHB, meaning strictly hard bean. This classification is given to coffee seeds that have been verified to have been grown at a high altitude, making the beans denser and also as a result of the altitude, a more flavorful and unique product. After harvest Iglesias is brought to Transcafe’s mill Concepcion, Escuintla. During the coffee’s time at Concepcion, it is sundried on patios and separated by size, density and color. The result of such meticulous and pain-staking effort, a remarkable product with complexity and balance.