Guatemala
Hacienda Carmona

Hacienda Carmona is an incredibly beautiful estate located on the fertile slopes of the Hunahpú Volcáno in the heart of the Antigua Valley. In the cup, we find notes of dulce de leche, raisin, and milk chocolate.

Washed process Bourbon

Flavour: dulce de leche, raisin, brown sugar

Body: Acidity:

Roast: omni (filter + espresso)

Hacienda Carmona is an incredibly beautiful estate located on the fertile slopes of the Hunahpú Volcáno (also called Agua in Spanish), in the heart of the Antigua Valley. Coffee was first planted here in the 1800s, and many of the original Typica and Bourbon varieties originally planted remain today and contribute to the elegant and distinct flavour profile this special farm produces.

At 700 Hectares in size, Hacienda Carmona is quite a large estate. Some 150 hectares are dedicated to coffee, and around 500 to natural reserve. In addition to its stunning homestead (with gardens inspired by a trip the family took to France in the 1800s), the estate raises Holstein cattle, and now includes a restaurant and mountain biking track.

Hacienda Carmona is owned by the Zelaya family, who have been growing coffee for over 100 years. Walking around Carmona is like taking a trip through the Zelaya family’s history: this was the first estate purchased by patriarch Luis Pedro Aguirre, and is now managed by fourth-generation producer Ricardo Zelaya (of Santa Clara Estate).

Before Ricardo took over operations, Carmona was owned by his aunt, Maria Zelaya Aguirre who inherited the farm in 1959. For decades, Maria grew coffee following more conventional techniques, but in 2012, after a bout of leaf rust decimated the farm, Maria decided to completely overhaul the agricultural practices and focus on producing higher quality, specialty grade coffee.

With the help of her nephews Luis Pedro and Ricardo Zelaya, Maria began to upgrade Carmona, renewing and establishing new plots, and making changes to the agricultural practices in place. By focusing on improving plant nutrition, irrigation and pruning techniques Maria was able to get better quality and productivity from her crop. More organic farming practices were also introduced, like the use of cow manure from the estate’s Holstein dairy cows to fertilise the trees.

Over a decade on, these efforts have resulted in greater yields, healthier trees and an across-the-board improvement in the quality of the coffee produced! Having spent more than five decades at the helm of Carmona’s operations, Maria eventually decided to retire, choosing to hand the reigns over to Ricardo and Luis Pedro. Sadly, Maria passed away in early 2024, yet her passion for producing beautiful Antiguan coffees and celebrating the family’s heritage lives on through the work of her two nephews at the farm.

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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

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Our packaging

Producer: Ricardo And Luis Pedro Zelaya
Farm/Coop: Santa Clara Estate
Country: Guatemala
Region: Antigua
Altitude: 1620-2000m above sea level
Variety: Bourbon
Process: washed
Importer: Melbourne Coffee Merchants
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Dulce de leche, raisin, brown sugar
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Variety

Bourbon variety

A natural mutation of the Typica varietal, Bourbon is named after Reunion Island (then known as Il Bourbon) where the French cultivated the Typica plants which naturally mutated.

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.

The Antigua region of Guatemala

Antigua is a region defined by rich volcanic soil, low rainfall and lots of sunshine. It is situated in the shadow of Fuego, one of Guatemala’s three active volcanoes

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.