Guatemala - El Patio Washed

El Patio is a lot produced with the coffee grown in the most central part of Finca La Bolsa. The farm is managed by Renardo Ovalle, who oversees the entire operation, including the careful processing of micro-lots from different farm sections. The coffee is grown next to the patio, where most of the lots are dried, hence the name.

Finca La Bolsa was bought and developed by Jorge Vides, a distinguished medical professional, in 1958. Jorge won a number of awards for coffee production and for services to the region of Huehuetenango and had the main hospital in the coffee-growing community named after him.

La Bolsa competed in the 2002 Cup Of Excellence competition and placed second, scoring 94.98. La Bolsa sits between two mountains, which provide a very stable, humid microclimate. This, combined with the limestone-rich soils, gives the coffee a unique profile, with a rich syrupy body and plenty of malic and citric acidity.

Accommodation is provided for permanent and temporary workers, with separate facilities for men and women and families, bathrooms and kitchens. La Bolsa is Rainforest Alliance and has its own school and nursery at the farm, with fully trained, full-time teachers. All temporary and permanent staff have access to schooling for their children. When a child attends school or nursery for 5 consecutive days they receive a weekly supply of rice, beans and corn. Prior to this food ration scheme, it was very difficult to get people to leave their children in the care of others, and schooling wasn’t necessarily valued as there is greater pressure on earning more money to feed the family. As a result, no children are working in the farm, and the school and nursery classes are full. 

Harvesting and Processing:

Coffee is carefully harvested by hand, ensuring that only fully ripe cherry is selected. The coffee is fermented for between 18 and 24 hours and is then pulped to remove mucilage, graded in channels and soaked overnight. 

After soaking the coffee is dried on a concrete patio and turned regularly to ensure even drying.

Sections of the farm are reserved areas to promote biodiversity reduce exposure to winds and soil erosion. Inga trees are used as shade trees to fix nitrogen in the soil, which is essential for plant and cherry growth. Renardo has an expansive composting operation to make use of waste products, using redworms.

Tasting Notes: 

This is an excellent example of a bright, clean washed coffee from Guatemala and showcases the best of this particular region. Tasting notes blackcurrant, sweet lemon and rich full body.

Brewing:

This coffee works well for all brew methods. 

Filter: Dose 15g, water 250g. 

Espresso: Dose 17 gram to 40 gram yield over about 30 seconds. 

This coffee is available as whole bean and pre-ground, but we recommend always grinding fresh before brewing. We sell a range of grinders if you would like to grind this coffee fresh at home.