El Volcancito
Impressions: dark chocolate, butter, almonds, candied orange
Roast Degree: medium-dark (4/5)
Country: Guatemala
Location: El Volcancito, Casillas, Nueva Santa Rosa
Farmers: Jesus Rodriguez, Rigoberto Garcia, Romel Urias, Arturo Rodriguez.
Varieties: Pache San Ramon & Red Catuai
Process: Washed
Partner importer: Semilla
We are always trying to have a more meaningful impact at origin, and buying more coffee from the Cafe Colis Resistencia group in Guatemala via Semilla is where we can truly maximize that purchasing power.
We started buying single origin lot from there 3 years ago when we took the full production of Luis Roldan, a delicious staple on our menu.
When we heard that Luis helped a group of 4 young farmers create a local blend, we knew we had to take it all and incorporate this on our menu.
This coffee is now a part of many custom blend for our wholesale partner.
It's 50% of our best selling Chocolate Berry Blend and the caffeinated portion of our original halfcaf Mindful Blend.
It’s always exciting for us to see young people involved in coffee production, especially in communities like El Volcancito where many people migrate or go look for work opportunities in cities.
Supporting those efforts from small holders is crucial for the future of specialty coffee, so if you are also looking to have an impact with the coffee you buy, you can't go wrong by purchasing any of our Guatemalan single origins or any of the blends we use those coffees in!
This is a solid washed coffee that we roasted to go well with any brew method, with or without milk, and it's designed for a bolder taste profile.
As a filter, the dark chocolate and nuttiness shine. The cooked pear notes gives the coffee such a nice mouthfeel, and the aftertaste feels like nougat and vanilla.
As an espresso, it’s all about texture and the buttery side of this coffee. If you like your espresso strong and round, but smooth at the same time, this is the one! The orange marmalade sweetness makes this coffee incredibly balanced.
Steam some milk and this becomes a choco milk bomb!
| Method | Dose | Ratio | Time |
| Espresso | 18 g | 2:1 | 24-30 sec |
| Espresso with milk | 18g | 1.9:1 | 30-34 sec |
| Americano | 18 g | 2.1:1 | 30-35 sec |
|
V60/Origami |
23 g | 15:1 | 2:45-3:15 min |
|
Chemex & Batch Brew |
40-60 g | 15:1 | 4:30-5:00 min |
|
French Press |
18-25 g | 14.5:1 | 4:00 min steep time |
Farmers: Jesus Rodriguez, Rigoberto Garcia, Romel Urias, Arturo Rodriguez.
Exporter: Industrias Noviembre
Importer: Semilla
Our commitment to the Xinka farmers in Mataquestcuintla is only growing. We are happy to have bought 100% of the first regional blend from those four young farmers.
By guaranteeing farmers a good price and a high volume, we are changing how people usually buy coffee, resulting in more stability and tastier coffees.
Price we paid Semilla for the landed coffee in our Montreal warehouse: 13.65CAD/kg. (not including storage fees or shipping fees for the next 6 months. This should add around 1CAD/kg)
FOB price: 10.43CAD/kg
Farmgate price: 1850 Quetzal/quintal (up from 1750 last harvest). 1 quintal being around 100kg of parchment (parchment means the green bean is still not exposed)
National price: 1100 Quetzal (down from an average of 1250 last year)
Even when local prices dip, Semilla is commited to buying coffee outside of this system, while alos not basing price on cup score: Semilla pays farmer based on their cost of production.
Producers who have invested time and money into post-harvest processing are rewarded with an elevated price to reflect that investment.
These are the smallholders we need to support, and we’re honoured to be able to do so.