Finca La Providencia’s location and elevation give it an advantage in producing a very high-quality coffee. The location is situated in the high mountains surrounding the town of San Pedro Necta in Huehuetenango, Guatemala.
The farm has been in the Palacios family since 1954, and since that time it has been passed down through three generations, starting with Maximiliano Palacios through to his son Javier Palacios Funes (who passed away in 2006 at the age of 91) on to the current owner, Max Ariel Palacios Villatoro.
Max will almost certainly pass on the farm to his own children, who will be the fourth generation to farm in this beautiful land.
For now, however, Max holds down the fort, overseeing all aspects of farm management, both administrative and agricultural.
He is a highly experienced and dedicated coffee producer with over 40 years of experience, a deep love of the land and a comprehensive knowledge of the region.
Flavour Profile of Guatemala Finca La Providencia
The harvest begins in late December and ends in early April.
Coffee is selectively hand harvested, with pickers choosing only the ripest Caturra (75%), Bourbon, Mundo Nuevo & Catuai cherries, and is then eco-pulped using the farm’s multiple Penagos pulpers.
Each bag of beans roasted touts flavours of Hazelnut, apple, raisins, and chocolate.
Coffee Grown in Guatemala
Finca La Providencia’s location and elevation give it an advantage in producing a very high-quality coffee. The farm’s water resources are abundant, with several springs across the area, and the region has distinct wet and dry seasons.
These are beneficial for flowering and processing. Farming in Huehuetenango, however, is not without its challenges.
The topography of the farm is broken and very irregular, which makes harvesting and cultivation activities more laborious. Fertilisation of the clay loam soil must be done with stringent attention to detail in order to avoid ‘washing’ and erosion.
For this reason, nearly 30% of the farm is kept under native forest, which helps prevent soil washing down the steep inclines and preserves the local ecology.
The pulpers reduce the environmental impact of wet processing by reducing water usage and waste. After pulping, the mucilage is removed and then the coffee is delivered to dry on the farm’s extensive patios or (if the weather is wet) in the guardiolas, where it dries at a slow and even temperature.
For each of these stages, qualified staff oversees activities to avoid any risk of contamination or deterioration of quality.
Moonroast Coffee
Moonroast Coffee roasters are all about providing delicious and flavourful coffees. They have won three Great Taste stars for their Ethiopia Kaffa Forest as well as several of their other coffees have won stars.
It’s a testament to Moonroast’s success in a very short time and to the fact that the coffee is increasingly recognised for its quality and taste.
Once the beans are roasted, the tastes and aromas of the single origin beans are observed in cupping sessions to allow Fran to identify the perfect flavour profiles to then create their speciality blends.
However, it doesn’t stop there. Even after their beans have left the roaster they want to be sure you will enjoy the product and this is down to the best extraction: the difference between a delicious well-balanced coffee and one that is too weak or bitter and not very enjoyable.
What Moonroast Coffee does with training for their professional baristas is amazing and they also offer courses for the home coffee creator as well.
Try This Coffee in Your Next Blue Coffee Box
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