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$23.70
La Florida is an old school Guatemala farm located in a really special part of Guatemala - near the town of Patzún near Atitlan Lake. The first time I visited the farm, my jaw dropped. Old and new growth forests surround the super old heirloom coffee trees - mostly bourbon and typica. I wanted to taste the coffee immediately after seeing the farm. The main man behind La Florida is the legendary Rodolfo Benavente.
Our coffee is custom roasted for you - freshness is guaranteed. We ship all orders within 1-2 business days, or via our SAME DAY service for local customers.
I have cupped 20-30 day lots of this coffee every year since 2015 and I always enjoy discovering it on blind cupping tables. It stands out with its nectar-like sweetness, dried fruit profile, light citrus juiciness and oat-milk like creaminess. The aroma tends to be more perfumed than many Guatemalan coffees. Read on to learn more about this awesome farm.
La Florida, was originally owned by Don Damian Benavante, but he was tragically killed in 1985 during the peak of the Guatemalan guerrillas. His son Rodolfo, apprehensively took over the property and in 1995, when it was finally safe, he began his own conservation project by planting over fifty hectares of the farm with pine and cypress trees. I’ve been to La Florida a bunch of times and everytime Rodolfo lovingly calls this area “his forest”. The forest is now fully grown and a beautiful homage to the environment that surrounds the farm.
La Florida is blessed. It’s located slightly east of Atitlan Lake and is perched at a nice elevation spanning from 1800m to 1900m, which is somewhat rare for Guatemala and contributes to the sweet, crisp juiciness of the coffee. The farm also has mostly old growth Bourbon and Typica varieties, ranging in age from 30 to 80 years. These old heirloom trees are responsible for some of the magic in the cup profile of La Florida.
Because the farm was planted before the time of high-density farming, the tree spacing is very generous, with densities of less than 2000 trees per hectare – by comparison, densely planted bourbon farms in Antigua can approach 5000 trees per hectare. This low planting density results in healthy soil (not overly depleted) and helps limit the spread of fungus and disease, and has specifically helped limit the impact of coffee leaf rust in the farm.
The farm also has an unusually high amount of shade. This is Rodolfo’s legacy – he really cares about the area, the ecosystem and his forest, so keeping the beautiful and old shade trees is important to him, even if it comes at the expense of productivity. This shade has helped slow down maturation and is a strong part of the final cup.
Rodolfo is an old school coffee farmer, and I can appreciate where he is coming from. Sometimes I have suggested certain drying practices and Rodolfo gives me a disapproving grin. The good news is that I have become great friends with Rodolfo’s son, Byron. Byron is somewhat involved in the farm - he actually works full time with the small producers of Huehuetenango. But Byron is keen to see La Florida thrive, so he has been key in pushing La Florida forward. While Rodolfo’s influence has led to great results due to the agricultural conditions on the farm, it is the work that we’ve been doing with Byron that has helped improve quality year after year.
- Sebastian
