Finca Los Caballitos - Oscar and Ana Cristina Schaps - Washed Gesha - Guatemala

Whole Bean
Roast: Light
Recommended Rest: 4-6 weeks from roast date
Tasting Notes: orange, sencha, pear

Origin Details

Region: Chajul, Quiché, Guatemala
Elevation: 1550m
Producer: Oscar and Ana Cristina Schaps, Finca Los Caballitos
Process: Washed
Variety: Gesha

ABOUT THIS COFFEE AND PRODUCER

Los Caballitos is located in the municipality of San Gaspar Chajul within the department of Quiche, Guatemala. This growing region, which includes the towns of Santa Maria Nebaj, San Juan Cotzal, and San Gaspar Chajul, is also called the Ixil Triangle because of the beautiful landscapes and the preservation of the indigenous culture. Revenue from coffee sales at the farm supports local schools and churches as well as local road infrastructure.

For this Gesha harvest, a great deal of care is dedicated to understanding optimum ripeness before picking. Finca Los Caballitos hand picks cherries using brix measurements (18-19 degrees) to ensure maximum sugar concentration in the coffee fruit. After harvesting, the cherries are transported to Caballitos's own wet mill, which allows for meticulous quality control while processing the harvest. 

The Gesha cherries are floated to separate out damaged and less dense beans, and then depulped. The depulped coffee seeds are fermented in tanks for up to 36 hours and washed. All water used during the process is harvested rainwater.

Washed parchment is mechanically dried in horizontal dryers called guardiolas. Furnaces burn wood harvested from shade management practices from the farm to heat the guardiolas up to approximately 40C (104F) for eight hours of pre-drying, bringing the coffee down to about 30 percent moisture content.

The coffee parchment is then moved to elevated tables inside greenhouses (solar dryers) that provide protection from the rain. The parchment is turned constantly while it dries in the greenhouse, a process that typically takes twenty days, bringing the beans down to 10.5 percent moisture. The coffee then rests in parchment for another thirty days before it is transported to Antigua where it is stored and milled for export.

WHY WE SELECTED THIS COFFEE

We're excited to introduce our first Gesha from Guatemala, and our first time working with Oscar and Ana Cristina Schaps of Finca Los Caballitos. This lot offers a slightly different expression of the varietal than what we typically source, with an interesting combination of fruit sweetness, tea-like qualities, and gentle acidity.

The cup opens with a sweet, pulpy orange character, accompanied by a subtle savory quality reminiscent of sencha tea. There's a gentle tannic structure that adds depth without becoming drying, giving the coffee a particularly interesting contrast between its fruit and tea-like qualities.

As it cools, the profile settles into a sweet, rounded pear-like acidity that carries through the finish. It's a unique take on Gesha, and an interesting introduction to the work coming out of Finca Los Caballitos.