Caliber Guatemala Carrizal Beans Bag/2 lb

Caliber Coffee Roasters is a micro coffee roaster in Regina, Saskatchewan. Enjoy freshly roasted beans from a local Canadian business!

Roast: Med-Dark | Notes: Almond + Milk Chocolate + Apricot

New Oriente coffee, another of Guatemala’s eight coffee producing regions, has been cultivated, almost exclusively, by small producers since the 1950s. Today, virtually every farm on the mountain has become a coffee-producer. Once one of the poorest and most isolated areas of Guatemala, New Oriente is now vibrant and growing. Rainy and cloudy, the region is located on the site of a former volcano. Its area is comprised of metamorphic rock, balanced in minerals, and different from soils in other volcanic regions when Arabica trees were first planted.

Finca Carrizal has a very special place in Ricardo Zelaya’s heart—it was his first-ever farm. At just 21 years old, Ricardo partnered with a family friend-of-his-father to purchase the farm, and over time they would also become good friends! Ricardo learned a great deal from his partner and vice versa. It was during these times, beginning in 1986, that Ricardo was able to experiment hands-on with everything he had learned from his studies—from agronomic practices to building his first wet mill. The Finca Carrizal still supports the nurseries that supply all his other farms. Almost eight months of rain annually, coupled with ideal soil conditions, ensure the young plants grow strong and are hardy enough to be transported to Ricardo’s other farms to be re-planted. However, this farm’s location does have its challenges—it is in the northwestern part of Guatemala, and to get there is a six to nine hours drive. Socially, the farm maintains a primary school of 97 children and includes a computer lab for the youth from the surrounding area.

The green is a natural process and is sorted by the pickers before transporting to the wet mill. At the mill, the coffee cherries are passed through a syphon to separate defective cherries, or floaters. The coffee cherries are then transported and positioned to dry in the greenhouse for 25 to 35 days. The drying process is slow—the cherries are gently raked or turned every thirty minutes during the day.