Beans are picked by hand and come from certified-origin plants. They are selected from among the best Arabica varietals because they grow well at higher elevations and are resistant to disease.
La Finca Renacer is blessed with fresh mountain air and rich soil that allow exceptional growth and especially thanks to the elevation where the plantation is located, between 1000 and 1200 metres. Much like for wine, coffee presents a myriad of flavours and aromas based on the varietal grown, influenced by the type of soil, altitude, fertilizers, drying techniques, etc.
Maragogype is one of the parents of the Pacamara variety and a related variety called Maracaturra
Caturra comes from a natural mutation of a variety of Bourbon.
Is suitable for harsh environments that experience heavy rains and strong winds or unpredictable weather conditions.
Was introduced to the island of Java directly from Ethiopia by the Dutch in the early 19th century.
Fincafé respects these varieties because they are unique and distinct. If you choose the Caturra variety, you will receive Caturra coffee, not a mixture of indistinguishable berries collected from different farms, at different altitudes, sprayed with various unknown products, or without care or attention to ripening.
After the harvest, the drying and fermentation processes accentuate certain characteristics and are chosen according to the facilities of the producer and the “beneficio” (processing center). The methods may include natural, washed, honey, or anaerobic honey.
To optimize the cherries’ aroma, they are fermented without oxygen. Coffee cherries are picked and sorted, and only the reddest and most perfect are retained. They are left to ferment for 72 to 80 hours in bags, mechanically pulped dry (without water), sorted again, and placed in barrels with yeast for fermentation for 48 to 72 hours. They will then be dried for 28 to 30 days in the shade. The intensity and frequency of handling in this process justifies the cost of the bean, as the coffee will be handled many times, and the facilities must be designed for this purpose. The coffee cherries are sorted, bagged, dry-pulped, sorted again, cleaned, then re-bagged and transported to the drying tables on grids in the shade to collect the honey. Drying will take 28 to 30 days before the coffee is prepared for storage.
The coffee cherries are picked and pulped in place, left to ferment for 12 to 24 hours in their mucilage, and washed to remove the honey. Then, they are drained and dried in the sun for 4 to 5 days. The natural juices interact with natural yeasts and are converted into acidic compounds. After this step, the beans are washed thoroughly with water and left to dry completely. The “washed” process develops the coffee’s aroma based solely on flavor clarity and bean variety characteristics.
The “Honey” process requires that the coffee cherries, when ripe, are picked and mechanically broken up to expose the mucilage. Pulping and dry cleaning dry the bean with its mucilage to allow the jelly to penetrate the bean, thus giving it a honeyed flavor. The intensity of this process also justifies the cost of the bean, as the coffee will be handled many times, and the facilities must be designed for this purpose; that is, once the coffee cherries have been sorted, they will be dry-pulped (without water), sorted again, and left to ferment for 48 to 72 hours in barrels. Then, they will be put back in plastic bags for transport to the drying tables in the shade to drain and recover the honey. Drying will take 28 to 30 days before the coffee is prepared for storage.
The natural process is the easiest and most widespread among small producers in Central America. The coffee cherries are sorted and dried with their skin on for around 28 days in the shade. The sugars in the cherry juice and the mucilage will be absorbed by the beans during drying, which gives them a fruity flavor.
The result is now a specialty bean, with a very high-quality coffee. Assessment reports from the processing centre laboratory calculated the coffee’s quality between 83 and 87 points depending on the varietal. (And we are only at the beginning of the harvests…)
