Roast: Medium Light
Body: Rich
Acidity: Crisp and Apple-like
Notes: Apple, Vanilla, Crisp, Rich
Elevation: 1600 – 1900 masl
Location: Antigua, Guatemala
Varietal: Bourbon
Process: Washed
$19.20
Great Drip, French Press and Epic via Pour overs
Weight: 12 oz.
In addition to being the indigenous Mayan name for Volcán de Agua, Hunapu refers to a collective of 200 – 300 smallholder farmers based just outside of Antigua with farms along the slopes of this volcano. Our offering is comprised of our two favorite day lots that we selected when visiting Beneficio Bella Vista during the harvest in March of 2018. Lot compilation here works much l ike it does in most areas of Ethiopia – the farms are quite small (especially compared to the large estates that are more common in Guatemala) and cherries are delivered each day during the harvest season to the mill. Depending on the day, the bulk of the cherries will be from different areas and different growers from around this region, which is why Bella Vista keeps each day separate and allows us to select our favorites. We’ve learned that we prefer these Hunapu coffees from the East side of the Volcano because of the type of sun the plants receive – mostly, gentle morning sun. Bella Vista buys cherry from farms on the other side of the Volcano to the West as well, but the plants are exposed the much hotter afternoon sun. These cooler average temperatures on the eastern-facing Hunapu farms equate to slower plant growth, which means extended time for the seeds to absorb nutrients from the plants. To us, this means coffees with higher sweetness and concentration of flavors. All processing for Hunapu coffees – depulping, sorting, drying (both on patios and raised beds), more sorting, dry milling, more sorting, bagging and preparation for export – takes place at Luis Pedro Zelaya Zamora’s (LPZZ) family mill – Beneficio Bella Vista – where quality control is kept under the close watch of Don Luis and his team of seasoned professionals. LPZZ is somewhat of a celebrity in the world of Guatemalan coffee; he is the fourth generation of his family to be working in the coffee business. For many years, the main focus was straightforward commercial coffee production and export. However, since the early 2000s, LPZZ grabbed the wheel and has been successfully turning the focus towards speciality coffee and small microlots. Year after year, they do a tremendous job of choosing the best lots from the best producers in the area. Bella Vista only accepts lots that have a certain high percentage of ripe cherry which are then separated by a large list of factors including, region, farm, elevation, variety, and date harvested, just to name a few. This allows us, as roasters and green buyers, to taste through many different ‘day lots’ from the same farms and choose the cream of the crop. The family has always worked with small producers in Antigua, and new relationships almost always come from introductions from families already working with the Zelaya family – ensuring close and stable partnerships. Though many of the farms are not their own, they are supported and bolstered by LPZZ’s connections to US and international coffee roasters. The access to these markets means they can select the best lots from area producers and pay premiums based on quality. For us, and for you, this means the very best coffees out of Guatemala. 2018 marks our 4th year working with Don Luis and Bella Vista and our 3rd year purchasing Hunapu coffees. Our Hunapu lot this year is comprised 100% of the Bourbon variety. Fermentation time is around 15 hours and total drying time on the patios is approximately 12 – 14 days. We were very happy to dig into a little more transparency this year and have traced this lot back to specifically 20 – 30 producers mostly around Ciudad Vieja. As usual, the Hunapu flavor profile is proving to be super clean with heavy chocolate flavors and very balanced acidity – absolutely guaranteed to please any coffee drinker out there. Hunapu is shining across all brew methods! The body is creamy like chocolate milk and the acidity is sweet and mildly fruity like apple pie. We’re tasting: hot cocoa, brownies, caramel, brown sugar, brown spice, vanilla, app