Guatemala
La Idolia

Washed process Catuai, Caturra, Pache

Flavour: delicate acidity, light stone fruit, toffee finish

Body: Acidity:

This coffee comes from the La Idolia farm in Guatemala, run by Fernando Diaz and his mother Isabel Ortega.

They took over the running of the farm when Fernando’s father passed away a couple of years ago. Coffee farming has been in the family since the 18th century, starting with Don Lizandro, a landowner and coffee grower in the eighteenth century.

We think it’s great to see a new generation dedicated to continuing the tradition of producing fantastic specialty coffee.

The farm is situated in the high altitude part of Santa Rosa. The road to get in is short but takes time since it is muddy and uneven. It takes you through beautiful rainforest, past the nursery at the bottom of the track where seedlings are being sown, with young trees then taken from this protective area up to the farm for planting.

The undulating terroir gives these producers the advantage of having several different micro-climates within the land that they manage. In fact the land is divided in to four different ‘farms.’

Coffee on the slopes of La Idolia

It’s tough work with the only piece of flat land being the small section where the house is located — even the nursery, wet mill and patios are built on a slope.

Coffee on the slopes of La Idolia

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: Fernando Diaz And Isabel Ortega
Country: Guatemala
Region: Pueblo Nuevo Viñas, Santa Rosa
Altitude: 1770m above sea level
Varieties: Catuai, Caturra, and Pache
Process: washed
Harvested: January 2015
Importer: Silo
Body: Medium
Acidity: Medium
Tasting notes: Delicate acidity, light stone fruit, toffee finish
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varieties

Catuai variety

Created by the Instituto Agronomico do Campinas in Brasil, Catuai is a hybrid varietal between Caturra and Mundo Novo.

Caturra variety

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon that was originally discovered in Brazil in 1937, considered to be the first naturally occurring mutation ever discovered.

Pache variety

Pache is a natural mutation of Typica, originally discovered in Guatemala in farms of El Brito, Santa Cruz Naranjo and Santa Rosa.

The location

Coffee from Guatemala

Guatemala’s production of coffee first grew in the 1860s on the back of a declining indigo trade, which had previously existed as it’s main export. Up until 2011 Guatemala was in the top 5 highest producing coffees nations in the world, before being overtaken by Honduras.

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.