Finca La Senda in Guatemala
has been around in some form since the 1940s, when the father of now-owner Arnoldo Pérez Melendez
pioneered the planting of coffee in the small village of Aldea el Sacorro. The 27 acre farm, which
extends up the hillside above the village towards Mount Balàm (known as “Hill of the Jaguar” in the
native language) on rich volcanic soil, is now run by Arnoldo and his wife, Maria Eugenia Escobar, as
well as their children. We have been working directly with La Senda since 2019, 2 years after our
green-buying partner Thomas of Red Beetle Coffee Lab visited their farm and helped to persuade Alfonso
and Maria to switch to specialty coffee production and processing from their more commodity focused
production methods. Now known for their more experimental processing techniques, our first La Senda that
we are proud to release this year is an extended Carbonic Maceration: ripe cherries are first
anaerobically fermented in a bioreactor flushed with Carbon Dioxide, then depulped and anaerobically
fermented again, for a total of over 300 hours(!) before being semi-washed in tanks and set out to dry
in the shade on African-style drying beds for 4 weeks, constantly being agitated by hand to make sure
that all of the beans dry evenly. The result is a more subtle form of a funkier processed coffee: the
aroma has base notes of chocolate with some teriyaki-like intrigue, and the flavor has a base of sweet
nougat that we’ve come to expect from Finca La Senda, topped with hazelnut and banana with hints of
cinnamon, all delivered with a silky smooth mouthfeel.
How to Brew It:
Best enjoyed using filter methods to experience the more subtle flavors, this
would also perform well on french press. Brew ratios should be between 1:15 and 1:16, at a temperature
of between 200 and 205 degrees.
CountryGuatemala
RegionAcatenango, Chimaltenango
FarmSeveral Small Farmers
Altitude1650 – 2000 Meters
VarietalsCaturra & Bourbon
Production MethodCarbonic Maceration
Roast LevelLight/Medium
La Senda Carbonic Maceration
Guatemala
Tasting Notes
Chocolatey AromaMolasses SweetnessHazelnutBananaMild Apple AciditySilky Mouthfeel
