Guatemala Ceylan Organic RFA SMBC

This delightful coffee from Finca Ceylan in the Atitlan region of Guatemala is a bit more relaxed than coffees from Huehuetenango. Balanced and silky smooth with sweet notes of milk chocolate, honey, orange and almond.

Arrival Date: February 17th, 2017

Acidity & Brightness: Moderate Acidity, slightly bright and very sweet

Balance & Finish: Slightly complex, clean, slightly nutty finish

Body & Texture: Full body, mellow, silky texture

Flavors: Milk chocolate, honey, orange and almond

Grade: Strictly High Grown, Dense, Average bean size

Certifications: Shade grown, RFA, organic, fair trade

Processing: Fully washed

Varietals: Bourbon, Typica, Mundo Novo

Roasting: We like this coffee at a Full City + (Medium Dark), or just a few snaps into the second crack. If you can't hear the cracks, then roast until the beans are smooth and medium dark brown with just the first hint of sheen as the oil emerges. This coffee roasts evenly. For a sweeter and brighter coffee, roast a bit lighter at Full City (Medium, little to no oil).

Recommendation: Guatemala produces some of our most popular coffees. People who enjoy clean, clear taste profiles in a balanced coffee with a chocolate finish will enjoy this coffee. The flavor can be changed substantially depending on how dark you roast it, but just about everyone will find something to like.

Remember! This is raw coffee, you must roast it before brewing!

Our Review: Ok, first let's get our acronymns straightened out because this coffee has quite a collection of letters after its name.  RFA - Rainforest Alliance certifified. SMBC - Smithsonian Migratory Bird-Friendly Coffee.  What all this means is that this coffee is grown and harvested on farms that do their work according to a specific set of guidlines that guarantee that they are not destroying the rain forests and they are not destroying migratory bird populations and habitats.  Both of these things are possible in large part because of the fact that coffee grows better in the shade.  Shade grown coffee develops slower, thereby giving you a harder and more flavorful bean.

This is considered an "SHB" coffee (Strictly Hard Bean) but I just couldn't stomach another acronymn in the title.

Interestingly enough, this particular coffee from Finca (farm) Ceylan was grown in the shade of banana trees.  The farm originally planted these banana trees to provided that coveted shade for the coffee plants.  They soon realized that they could harvest and sell the bananas as well.  This has added to the farms ability to generate income, and thereby produce even better coffee (with happier workers).  Isn't coffee cool?

The Ceylan farm is located in the mountainous Atitlan region. Atitlan coffees tend to be more relaxed than Huehuetenango coffees, but no less tasty. The flavor profile is similar - creamy chocolate and big, rich body. Guatemalan coffee tends to be the most complex of all Central & South American coffees, which is why we like them so much. This Ceylan coffee is more balanced and sweet than the Huehuetenango and the chocolate is more milk chocolate than dark.