Guatemala

Gascon

Sweet cherry and deep caramel

Felipe Contreras’ experimentation with processing leads to notes of sweet cherry, dark chocolate and caramel in the cup

The cherries for this lot were dried in deeper piles, allowing them to be heated by the energy released during fermentation.

Producer
Felipe Contreras
Coffee expression
A fruity & wild coffee

Regular price: $28.00
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Sale price: $28.00
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Antigua

The Contreras Family

Felipe Contreras was inspired to start in coffee by his grandfather Gildardo. Gildardo always had a small garden with a few coffee trees, and picked and processed a small harvest each year, as a hobby. In 2012, he purchased a 40 hectare farm near the town of San Juan Gascon in the Antigua region of Guatemala, as a retirement project.

"Felipe’s experimentation with processing leads to notes of sweet cherry, dark chocolate and caramel in the cup."

Felipe Contreras

Gildardo planted the farm in 2014, mainly with the Bourbon varietal, but expanded in 2016 with a plot of Geisha. It was around this time that Felipe started to be more involved, and today grandfather and grandson run the farm together. Felipe has pioneered a polyculture approach, with plentiful shade, avocado trees, natural irrigation, and a small population of livestock in order to produce compost. There are no agrochemicals or insecticides used on the farm; the family even produce their own natural alternatives in their small ‘bio-factory’. This not only leads to a lower environmental impact, but also to a much reduced cost of production.

Gascon

Natural Bourbon

Felipe has also been experimenting with processing over the previous few harvest seasons, and this lot is a result of this. Ripe Bourbon cherries are dried in thicker piles than normal during the initial stages of drying, allowing the mass of cherries to be heated by the energy release during fermentation. This increases the process character in the cup, leading to notes of sweet cherry, dark chocolate and molasses in the cup.

Technical Data

Producer
Felipe Contreras
Region
Antigua
Altitude
1800 masl
Varietal
Bourbon
Process
Natural
Harvest
February 2023

Natural Process

The natural, or dry process, is the traditional process, going back generations. When accomplished in a controlled and careful manner, dry processed coffees can produce flavour experiences not found in wet processed coffees, deep fruits and florals, normally with heavier mouthfeel and lower acidity. The cherries are first sorted, and then laid out on in thin layers (2-6 cm) on raised drying beds. These are almost always used for high quality naturals, as they aid airflow around the coffee as it dries, enabling more even drying.

It is very important that coffees are sorted very carefully early on in the drying process, as all of the cherries quickly turn dark brown, making it impossible to separate under and overripe cherries. The cherries are turned frequently to avoid mold formation or over-fermentation, until they reach a moisture content of below 20%, and the outer cherry layer shrinks and blackens. This process takes between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on weather conditions.