Description
4 Guatemalan COE winning lots this season! Our buying group with Finca Vista Hermosa was the only US auction winners this year. Almost everything went overseas into the Asian markets. We feel honored to offer some of the best beans in the world! (or at least Guatemala in this case).
Wow, who would have known that one of the best Guatemalan farms, and Panama farms, would both be named Mama Cata. No relation besides the fact they grow some of the world best Gesha coffee, at crazy high altitudes. Although we have not seen Guatemalan Mama Cata coffee before but they are friends with Edwin from Finca Vista Hermosa, and the tastes of this coffee sell it, we could not pass it up. Check it out here.
#8 winning lot @ 88.93 points in the COE. Some of the toughest grading on the block. Highest scoring lot was 91.75 and it went for over $138/Lb.
A wonderful chance to literally try, some of the best coffee in the world. 298 pounds to go around.
Farm Bio:
Finca Mama Cata is located in the Acatenango Valley, at a height of 6,000 to 6,500 feet above sea level, surrounded by 2 imposing volcanoes, with wonderful soils and microclimates.
11 years ago Max and his family started new and great challenges: producing high-quality coffee, combining the knowledge that 4 generations of coffee producers can contribute, with a gigantic passion for coffee.
With the effort and dedication of the whole family, collaborators and God’s blessing, starting in 2015 Finca Mama Cata produces one of the best coffees in the Acatenango Region, Guatemala and the entire world … the challenge for the future is maintain quality, and become a model farm of quality and sustainability.
With all our heart we hope you enjoy this small batch of coffee that we have produced with great affection and passion…. by the way, the name of the farm, is in honor of the mother of Max, Candida… to whom of affection he say: “MAMA CATA!” .
Tasting Notes:
This cup defines the Gesha strain, one sip or one smell and you know you have something special. keep this lighter roasted! Sweet, clean, delicate with all sorts of flavor diversity. Jasmine tea like aromatics that cut right through in the cup tastes. Soft fruit tones (super clean, not like a natural), with a little lemony crispness balanced with a little black tea like spice in the aftertaste. A couple tasters thought it nailed both the jasmine and bergamot tones so sought after in the strain, bergamot was a little more of a stretch at lighter roasts, but pushing a medium popped right out, only downside, by a medium roast, the more jasmine like aspects were starting to burn out, so a fine line to get both in the cup.
Roasting Notes:
Keep this pretty light roasted. Too close to 2nd crack and you will miss what makes this cup so special. Light roasts, you can cool it out as first crack subsides but give it 3-5 days to setup before drinking. You can push it a little more towards a medium roast to bring out the more fruity/sweet bergamot like tones but would go no darker than a medium roast. Pretty even roasting, medium chaff, will look a bit splotchy if roasted correctly, by the time the beans are all one solid color, you are burning out very cool flavors.
Mark (verified owner) –
Definitely a good coffee but I was expecting a bigger ”WOW” factor.
I’ve had a handful of different Guatemalan coffees and this one doesn’t really stand out much from all the others I’ve roasted.
Just like Jamaican blue mountain and Kona coffee this one joins them in not worth the price that I paid for them. Plenty of good other options at more favorable prices.
Jon Burman –
Thanks for the review! Be sure to keep it roasted on the light side to see some uniqueness. Geisha/Gesha coffees are very delicate and will taste pretty plain if roasted too dark, even a medium roast will start to mute some of the more exotic floral notes. Ending the roast while the beans are still a little spotchy, and drinking a little sooner after roasting (24 hours), will accentuate the lovely super clean jasmine and fruit like tones of the cup.
Lee (verified owner) –
Love it! Keep it light! First impression- open the bag and the smell tells you immediately you have something special! Smells more like a bag of dried fruit rather than coffee! Roasted until first crack had completely subsided and it was good coffee but not crazy. Next batch, I pulled mid first crack. Made all the difference! It has WOW factor!! And as stated in the reply to a previous review, this is a delicate coffee. Overnight is all the setup time this wants. After about 3 days, some of the more subtle notes start to fade. Not something I would drink everyday just because it’s so unique. Its fruit notes are unmatched. Has a very lovely floral scent when brewing, something that hasn’t jumped out at me on other coffees. In my opinion, worth the price.
Keith P. (verified owner) –
Very (VERY) smooth, very clean cup. The beans are large and perfect – a joy to roast. Flavor-wise, I’ve been a bit more aggressive on the heat due to winter, and I stopped this one just as I heard hints of second crack (timing is critical here!). I compare all coffees to Yirgacheffe, and this one seems just a bit more…boring? It’s a great cup with some good floral notes, but it seems to be missing some backbone. I’ll try a lighter roast next and if I’m not blown away, I’ll cut it with some TZ PB (the backboniest of backbones). It’s still good enough to where I bought a couple lbs more, and I usually don’t like Latin American coffees.
Keith P. (verified owner) –
I previously rated this a 4 for same reasons as another comment mentioned – good but not “wow”. Then I took the advice of a couple other comments and tried roasting lighter (as soon as first crack was definitively done) – makes all the difference in the world! This is a *great* coffee – roast gently and you will be rewarded.