Review: Guatemala Xeucalvitz From Coava Coffee Roasters




  • The Coffee

    Beans: Guatemala Xeucalvitz
    Roaster: Coava Coffee Roasters

    You may have heard of this coffee as it received a whopping 95 out of 100 points over at CoffeeReview.com a few months ago, but this isn’t the reason why I purchased this coffee to try. Although, a 95 point rating did help a little, the reason for this purchase was a short description of how this coffee was fermented.

    For about 20 hours these coffee beans are put in wooden boxes without water, and covered with banana leaves. After that, the beans are sun dried on tables and tarps.

    I would say I am fairly familiar with drying methods, but I have never heard of coffee being dried in wooden boxes and being covered with banana leaves. Now that my curiosity spiked, I had to taste this coffee.

    Equipment/Brewing Method(s)

    Brew Method: Clever Dripper
    Grinder/Grind Size: Baratza Virtuoso Preciso – Dial 24
    Bean/Water Ratio: 24g/340g
    Brewing Time: 2:30

    Notes:
    The aroma is really dry. Underneath there is fruity notes, honey, and chocolate coming through. Each sip carries a very dry astringency. Underneath, I found chocolate, fruit, lemon, and honey. As the coffee cools the coffee becomes sweeter and the fruity note starts to develop more which tastes like sweet raspberries.

    Raspberry / Chocolate Truffle / Rose ~ Coava Coffee Roasters

    Verdict:
    I didn’t know what to expect with this coffee, but I was quite surprised by the dry astringency that seemed to surround each sip. At first, it was too much, but I found myself growing to like it very quickly. It mellows out as the coffee starts to cool, but the first few sips are a wake up call in your mouth.

    I had a chance to play around with this in the Aeropress a bit and found some very sweet cups where the raspberry note was very pronounced. The Clever Dripper has a nice full body, but to some the dry astringency in the first few sips might scare some people away.

    Overall, I really liked this coffee more than I thought I would. Sure, it may have just carried the usual chocolate, and fruity notes with hints of honey, and lemon, but this was a joyful coffee to play around with and I really liked it.

    Score:
    I’d give this a 92/100 pts.

    More Info About This Coffee

    Region/Location: El Quiché, Guatemala
    Varietal: Bourbon and Typica
    Processing: Dry Ferment / Washed
    Altitude: 1400-1600 Meters
    Harvest Season/Date: N/A
    Cost: $12 per 8.8oz



    Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...


    September 11th, 2011 | Jamie | No Comments | Tags: , , ,

About The Author

Jamie Ferguson

From sunny Sarasota Florida, Jamie Ferguson has been drinking coffee since a very young age. Jamie is just your average jane who has a serious addiction to coffee, but more so has a bigger love for the heart, and the dedication that is put into growing, processing and roasting coffee. Come and join the adventures...