GUATEMALA- San Carlos (100 to 135-year-old Bourbon varietals) - STAR LOT

Cup Score: 85.50

Taste Notes: Red plum, milk chocolate, toffee, round buttery and structured

Location: Sacatapéquez Department, Antigua Region

Process: Washed

Varietal: Bourbon and Caturra

Altitude: 1500 - 1700 meters above sea level

San Carlos is a 16-hectare farm owned by the same producers of Villa Estela and San Ignacio, the 3 farms are historic farms located amongst the ruins, tiendas and restaurants of downtown La Antigua, Guatemala.

The owner is currently not running the farms directly but he asked Josué at Los Volcanes to take care of them directly, which brought out the farm’s full potential for speciality coffee production.

Carlos Durán was the founder of these farms in 1850 and has passed them down through his family's generations.

The main cultivar found on this farm is 100 to 135-year-old Bourbon varietals.

These plants have been grown and managed and pruned in a way that at a certain height, around the average height of a Guatemalan, they bend and grow towards the ground, many with the tops now touching the ground.

This method is used so that the pickers are able to reach all of the cherries without stunting the growth of this precious variety. The trick to keeping this variety productive for so long is by alternating between plants harvested every year.

The natural cycle of a coffee plant is to produce every two years, however, humans have been able to stress the plants to produce every year.

In San Carlos, the plants remain productive and live longer by allowing plants to rest each year between production.

Also stripping the plants of every leaf and cherry at the end of the harvest season helps keep their ancient Bourbons healthy and productive, through continuous regeneration.

Aside from Bourbon, San Carlos produces 40-year-old Caturra and Catuaí varietals.

The main shade tree used in San Carlos is Gravilea and Inga.

Particular care is given to those shade trees that get pruned once every 10 years allowing the trees to grow higher than those found on traditional Antigua farms. The taller shade trees help protect the plants from the frost characterised by the cool Antigua nights while allowing a breeze to pass through the plantation to keep a lower level of humidity.

An interesting fact about this farm is the duration of its harvest season which started in December, sometimes even November and lasted all the way through to April, the harvest season of this farm is remarkably longer than those of the neighbouring coffee farms.

Most farms in this region are only in harvest from January to March. How they manage to achieve this long lucrative season remains a mystery!