Guatemala Gesha – Finca Palestina Acatenango

Guatemala Gesha – Finca Palestina, Acatenango

Tasting notes:

This Gesha coffee is soft and fruity. Its aroma is floral (lavender), with notes of sweet citrus, such as candied orange peel. A bright, juicy fruitiness comes through on the palate, reminiscent of pomegranate. There are also subtle chocolate notes. The mouthfeel is creamy and soft. The finish is long and clean, with a sweet hint of caramel fudge.
Given its fruity and delicate character, this coffee is lightly roasted and especially well suited to filter brewing.

Specifications:

• Farm: Finca Palestina
• Country: Guatemala
• Region: Acatenango
• Department: Chimaltenango
• Village: Aldea El Socorro
• Varieties: Gesha
• Altitude: 1,540 meters above sea level
• Size: 45 hectares + 21 hectares of nature reserve

Coffee processing

Gesha grows in two different locations on Finca Palestina. One is in a shady spot with many pink Cedar trees; the other location gets sun from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and is shaded by Grevilea and Chalum trees. Harvest takes place late in the season, around January, when the cherries are at about 23 to 25 Brix (sugar content). The coffee plants growing in the most shade ultimately develop the most pronounced complexity and flavor. Joel chooses the natural process, which he says brings out the flavor best. They pick fully ripe cherries, which undergo several stages of fermentation inside the fruit before drying on raised beds for 30 days. From picking to the end of this process takes around 40 days. During that time, the cherries are exposed to carefully controlled amounts of sun and wind, with close attention paid to the weather. The days are quite hot, while evenings can get rather cool among the mountains. This produces the delicate profile that makes this coffee so unique.

The story of Finca Palestina

Finca Palestina belongs to the Perez family, Joel and his wife Karla. Their son Caleb hopes to take over from his father in the future. The farm has been in the family since 1958, and Joel took over from his father in 2012, when leaf rust in Guatemala reduced the harvest to just 5% of its original yield. Joel had already gained experience with Effective Micro Organisms for his livestock business in Peten, and he also used EM to improve the soil. This created an exceptionally healthy growing medium for Finca Palestina.

What makes Finca Palestina so special is its location beside two volcanoes, collectively known as La Horqueta. Volcano Acatenango is dormant, but Fuego is almost continuously active, making for spectacular views from the farm. As a result, the soil is incredibly fertile and is continually replenished with minerals. A thin layer of ash from Fuego regularly settles on the coffee leaves.

Many of the pickers have been connected to the farm for generations. In recent years, a large portion of the workforce has consisted of Viudas Blancas*.

*A Viuda Blanca is a woman whose husband has left for the U.S. (often without papers, with no set return date, and sometimes without staying in contact) and can no longer be reached. These women find themselves in economic and social isolation.  

Healthy soil is the foundation of good coffee

Joel's goal of keeping the soil as healthy as possible means working in harmony with nature as much as possible. His approach combines permaculture, agroforestry, and regenerative agriculture. Joel is trained as a mechanic and approaches the challenges that arise on the farm in the same way. For example: The topsoil on the farm is the most nutrient-rich layer, but during the rainy season, some of this rich soil always washes downhill. Joel brings it back to a central spot on the farm, mixes it with compost and EM, and uses it for seedlings for new coffee plants.

You can tell the soil is healthy, among other things, by its thick layer of humus and the abundance of beneficial fungi. Last summer, new plants were planted in several spots on the farm where older plants had previously stood. The terraces are carefully prepared, and when digging into the steep slopes, you could see a layer of healthy white fungi, sometimes as much as 20 centimeters thick. This layer carries nutrients to where they are needed and retains a tremendous amount of water.

Working with nature

Finca Palestina is a green oasis in the highlands, with a great diversity of plants and animals. In addition to running the coffee farm, Joel also manages 21 hectares of protected nature interwoven with the farm. According to a recent report, 11 unique amphibian species live here, and a species of oak grows here that is found nowhere else in the world.