Very Special
Here’s what makes Rio Dorado’s coffee Very Special amongst our lineup.
Award-Winning Farm: Since its founding in 2004, the farm has strived for quality, with several Cup of Excellence and regional competition-winning lots. It’s their goal to continue producing the highest quality coffees and standing out in the market.
Gesha Varietal: This notorious varietal always commands a high price on the market. This is due to it been difficult to farm, but also because the end cup often has a complex variety of floral and fruity flavours.
Anaerobic Washed Process: Flavour is intensified when the freshly-harvested cherries are placed inside a sealed container or bag of some sort for a period of time. We find the fruit and acidity notes are intensified, and the body is increased.
Finca Rio Dorado
Finca Rio Dorado is a 20-hectare coffee farm located in Mataquescuintla in the Oriente coffee-growing region of Guatemala. The farm grows Gesha, Pacamara, Catuai, Pache, and Bourbon varieties under the shade of pines, cypress, and oak trees. They practice a wide range of processes, including washed, natural, and honey as well as anaerobic, prolonged fermentation, and carbonic maceration.
Washed process in Guatemala
The Washed process varies greatly across the growing regions of Guatemala due in large part to the different terroir and terrain that exists from place to place there, but for the most part the primary difference in style is in the length of time that the coffee is allowe to ferment. Generally speaking, coffee is picked ripe and depulped the same or the following day, then allowed to ferment for anywhere between 12–48 hours, depending on the climate. The coffee is then washed clean of its mucilage and spread on patios or raised beds to dry.
Oriente Region
Coffee has been grown in Oriente since the 1950s. Once the poorest region in the country, Oriente has grown into a large coffee producing region for Guatemala. The mountain range, once volcanic, is overcast and rainy with temperate weather and balanced soil. The region is typically the warmest, but at high elevations where small producers operate, the nights are quite cool.
