Big Red Truck Dark Blend
Our signature dark roast always consists of a blend of both washed and natural process coffees. Using a natural process coffee adds a rich sweetness and complexity to this coffee that is not lost even when roasting for longer to achieve the dark profile.
We are currently tasting notes of dark chocolate, crème brûlée, and warm spices in Big Red Truck.
What's in Big Red Truck?
Varieties: Bourbon, Catuai, Pache, Anacafe 14
Growing Altitude: 1400-2000 masl
Processing Method: Natural/Dry Processed
The region of Ayarza is a special one, landmarked by the drastic landscape and cold blue water from the Laguna de Ayarza and Laguna Azul. The lake was formed by two massive volcanos that collapsed and formed a large crater. The legends surrounding this lake are numerous, including one that says the bottom has never been found. There is a large white rock that resembles a petrified woman who didn’t follow the orders of Jesus. In short, there are simply too many good stories about Ayarza to do it justice!
For natural-processed coffees under the Blue Ayarza mark, the best cherries from small holders in the region deliver to the Covoya mill, often in their own pickup trucks. Cherry is then sent to Amatitilan for drying, where the coffee stays for 10 days on the patio. To finish the coffee is mechanically dried for 5-10 hours.
Although coffee was brought to Guatemala from the Caribbean in the mid-18th century by Jesuit priests, it was used primarily as an ornamental plant and garden crop for 100 years in Guatemala. Coffee wasn’t widely traded, however, until commercial production began in the 1850s. The volcanic soil and various micro-climates proved ideal for growing coffee in Guatemala. Coffee, within a generation, became the country’s most important crop. In 1860, Guatemala exported 140,000 pounds of coffee, and just 25 years later, the country was exporting over 40 million pounds. Large numbers of coffee farmers were German immigrants responsible for many inventions and innovations related to coffee milling. Most of Guatemala’s coffee was exported to Germany until the First World War, when exports shifted to the United States.
Variety: Castillo
Growing Altitude: 1560 masl
Processing Method: Washed
Finca Palmichal is high on the western side of the Central Andes mountain range, near the municipality of Genova, in the department of Quindío. This region went through violent and difficult times during the peak of the guerrilla expansion in the country. But now, after the negotiation between the government and the FARC, there is hope among these communities for many safe and happy years to come.
Producer Atilano Giraldo is the third generation of his family to grow coffee in Quindío, and he grew up working in coffee alongside his father. Gradually, he acquired additional properties, including Finca Palmichal, which he bought from the local Osorio family.
Recently, after years of hard work, and in order to help the development of his region, Don Atilano ran and was elected as a senator in the Colombian parliament representing Quindío.
