Luis Roldan - Yellow Caturra
Impressions: plum, caramel, lychee, red apple
Roast degree: light (2/5)
Country: Guatemala
Region: Casillas, Santa Rosa
Farm: El Durazno
Farmer: Luis Roldan
Variety: Yellow Caturra
Process: Washed
Partner importer: Semilla
For the fourth year in a row, we are thrilled to bring this important coffee to our coffee menu.
Luis is an active and well respected leader of the Cafe Colis Resistencia, a producing group from the Indigenous Xinka community around Mataquescuintla, Guatemala.
Within the Mataquescuintla area, nearly 90% of the population identifies as a coffee producer and yet, almost none of these producers have access to a market beyond selling in cherry to local intermediaries or to large farms who process their coffee and sell it as blended lots to their international market. This means around 35,000 people who live off of coffee as a primary income have no other options for sale.
That's why we love working with Semilla, as their primary goal is to give access to the specialty market to small holder producers who have almost no options to receive a fair price for their coffee.
The group Cafe Colis Resistencia is opposing the exploitation of the Escobal silver mine, owned by Vancouver-based Pan American silver. This Canadian company wants to go ahead and exploit the mine on Indigenous land despite being in contravention of the United Nations Declarations of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
We are proud to join Semilla in their efforts to stand on the side of Indigenous sovereignty and landing our support for this producing group. Not only does Semilla buy the coffees at solid prices, they also lend their voices as Canadians against this illegal extractive project.
About Luis:
Luis, an agricultural engineer by trade and a university teacher who ran for mayor in Casillas, is an active member of the Mataquescuintla resistance group.
He was instrumental last year in using his contacts with local NGOs to acquire an eco-pulper, which allows producers to not only process their coffee to parchment in their own beneficios but also to do so with a minimal amount of water, given that the whole region has been drought-stricken for years and water is a precious commodity.
Luis also started a local roasting brand to help generate revenues for families in the region.
We have a second lot from Luis available, this time a Red Caturra.
From the dozens of coffee we had from this producing group in Guatemala over the last 4 years, this one is our favourite.
The coffee is incredibly sweet and balanced. From the first sip all the way to the last linger, it's one of the best coffee experience we enjoyed from Luis' coffee over the years.
The plum and lychee like acidity make this coffee incredible vibrant and complex, the the cooked red apple notes make the acidity linger. The caramel sweetness is unbelievable, making the coffee round and coating.
This can make a very good espresso, but we prefer it as a filter coffee.
| Method | Dose | Ratio | Time |
| Espresso | 16-20 g | 2.2:1 | 30-34 sec |
| Espresso with milk | 16-20 g | 2:1 | 32-34 sec |
| Americano | 16-20 g | 2.3:1 | 26-30 sec |
|
V60/Origami |
18-32 g | 16.5:1 | 3:30-4:00 min |
|
Chemex & Batch Brew |
40-60 g | 16:1 | 4:30-5:45 min |
|
French Press |
18-25 g | 15.5:1 | 3:45 min steep time |
Farmer: Luis Roldan
Exporter: Industrias Noviembre
Importer: Semilla
Price we paid Semilla for the landed coffee in our Montreal warehouse: 14.60CAD/kg.
FOB price: 11.25CAD/kg
Farmgate price: 1750 Quetzal/quintal - 1 quintal being around 100kg of parchment
National price: 1200 Quetzal
Even when local and global market prices are fluctuating, Semilla is committed to paying more for coffee and to not use this colonial way of pricing coffee. They also don't buy based on cup scores: Semilla and the farmers they work with price coffee together so it makes sense for everyone by including cost of production, local needs and inflation, etc.