Rose and rosehip on the nose, then blueberry, apricot and ripe peach: a Gesha reminiscent of a fruit and flower infusion.
With its aroma of rose and rosehip, this coffee makes a striking first impression. The aroma is intense, with flavours that shift from fresh flowers to berry fruit. In the palate, the flavor is complex, balanced, with notes of blackberry, ripe apricot, peach and cantaloupe. The taste is reminiscent of an infusion of fruit and flowers: blackberry, red fruits and sweet flowers that evoke juicy, fruity memories of summer. Its acidity is bright but balanced. The body is light and soft, leaving a nice sensation in the mouth. The aftertaste is particularly persistent, presenting hints of rosehip, rose and blackberry, with a pleasant sweetness that lingers on the palate.
On this specific lot the farmer Ricardo grows the Gesha Malawi variety, and he is the only one in the region who cultivates it, as it is not really common. He started producing it about twelve years ago, on fields located at 1.750 - 1.850 m a.s.l.
As soon as the cherries get to the wet mill, they are selected and then stripped using machines; afterwards they are fermented for 12-14 hours in a tank full of water to dissolve the external mucilage and then put on the African beds to dry.
The water used to wash the coffee is recycled after removing all the solids to process the following batch. This allows to inoculate the second lot processed, quickening the fermentation times and helping to maintain a constant mix of yeasts and bacterias during the fermentation. After having been used twice, the water is filtered through a complex system and all the remaining solids become compost.
The Zelaya family has been cultivating coffee for over 100 years and four generations. Everything began in 1908, when the great-grandfather of the current owner Ricardo Zelaya dreamed of growing coffee plants. The farm was then bought from Ricardo’s grandfather in 1974 and since 1989 he - the fourth generation of the family - is the one producing coffee in Santa Clara. Today this family owns fields in various regions of Guatemala and it is one of the few authentic growers of “Antigua” coffee; the Finca Santa Clara lies in fact on the fertile southern slopes of the Volcán de Agua, in the Antigua Valley, which is surrounded by three volcanos: Agua, Acatenango and Fuego.
The Zelaya family is particularly involved both in quality and sustainability. The farms are managed scrupulously, from the selection of the varieties planted to the supervision of the processing systems. The coffee plants are grown in the shade, to protect them from the direct sunlight, maintain the healthiness of the soil and allow insects and birds to find a nice habitat. The systems are also eco-friendly and have sedimentation tanks that prevent the pollution of local water streams. At Santa Clara workers are considered as family members; for this reason, in 2010 Ricardo started a scholarship program to help his employees pay for the studies of their children. This program is now managed by his daughter Bel, who graduated in Special Education; her and Ricardo’s dream is to transform this project into a formal non-profit organization, to include children of parents that work in fields other than coffee.
Free over €69 in Italy and over €139 in the European Union. The courier usually delivers within 2 working days.
We roast to order: your order ships within 7 working days. If the coffee is already in stock, we ship sooner.
Our coffees, roasted to order, are excluded from the right of withdrawal. For other products, please refer to our terms of sale.
