A few weeks ago I received a surprise package with a couple coffees in it from Jackson, Mississippi’s BeanFruit Coffee Co. I’ve reviewed a lot of BeanFruit’s coffee in the past and it’s always awesome, so anytime Paul Bonds (owner and roaster) drops something in the mail for me, I know I’m going to enjoy it! Today we’re looking at BeanFruit’s current Guatemalan offering, so visit the links and away we go!
Buy this coffee directly from BeanFruit for just $15.25/12oz
BeanFruit Coffee Co. Ethiopia Sidama Guji review (see this list for many more, under “Mississippi”)
BEANFRUIT COFFEE CO. GUATEMALA CORMONA PULCAL
I’ll admit it. I didn’t “get” Guatemalan coffee when I first started getting super serious about coffee a few years ago. I found them to be relatively boring and they always had this harsh “bite” I didn’t really go for. But, how times (and palates) change. When I see Guatemalan coffees in a box from roasters I get pretty excited because I’ve really come to appreciate them more. Some are brighter and fruitier and others can be downright sugar bombs, and those are the ones I really love!
Today’s coffee comes from Hacienda Carmona Pulcal in the mountains overlooking Antigua. The farm is situated at around 1800masl and dates back to colonial times. Coffee was planted there in the late 1800’s and was first exported in 1918. The farm was purchased in 1910 by Luis Aguirre, who passed it on to the current and third generation owner/managed, Maria Zelaya. Quite a tradition! This is a washed coffee of Typica and Bourbon varietals and BeanFruit gives us tasting notes of, “rich fudge, honey, citron, black tea.”
Sounds both awesome and somewhat unexpected for this origin, so let’s see what Hacienda Cormona Pulcal’s microclimate does to their coffee…
I used my usual pourover setup of a 1:16 ratio (28g coffee, 450g water) in the notNeutral Gino with Kalita 185 (white) filters. This made a very clean cup with lots of clarity and structure. It certainly had a tea-like vibe to it… fairly light body with a slightly dry finish. There was definitely a tea note in the flavor, too. The acidity on this cup is citrus, for sure, with elements of both lemon and some orange in it for me. That lemon note, which is delicious, really adds to the tea notes, too. Between the mouthfeel and the flavors, I could almost picture myself drinking a cup of black tea with a squeeze of lemon. Almost…
This is a sweet cup. I don’t know that I picked up on the fudge suggestion given in BeanFruit’s notes, but there is a honeyed sweetness to this coffee that is simultaneously delicate.
Like I said earlier, my favorite Guats are the super sweet sugar bombs. This coffee is not that, at all, but it’s a beautiful and delicious coffee, nonetheless! It has tons of clarity and it’s super clean. The aftertaste is mild and short-lived and it is a gentle, delicate, light cup. This is a fantastic example of what a clean, light, delicate cup can be and I enjoyed the heck out of it!