Holiday Blend

Varieties: Caturra
Growing Altitude: 1,130 - 1,250 masl
Processing Method: Honey

The Sampieri family has been growing coffee in the fertile soil of Huatusco since 1920. They purchased Finca La Laja in 1980 and, in 1999, established AC La Laja SA de CV (La Laja SA), a broader coffee company. Finca La Laja sits in La Laja, Tlatetela, in Huatusco, at 1,130 to 1,250 meters above sea level. The area is mountainous and fed by a network of small tributaries running into the La Antigua river.

Finca La Laja is cultivated under shade, primarily with Caturra and Garnica varieties, with planting densities ranging from 2,000 to 2,500 shrubs per hectare. They have sought new flavors and experimented with different processing methods, including the Honey process that produced this lot.

The soil is primarily Cambisol, characterized by rocky subsoil and susceptibility to erosion, as well as Luvisol, which features clay accumulation in the subsoil.

Each harvest, efforts have been made to improve production by implementing traditional selective methods (planting, fertilization, and pruning), resulting in good productivity and quality. Since acquiring the property in 1980, the Sampieri family has continuously pursued improvements in each harvest to achieve a high-quality cup, experimenting with various post-harvest processes including honey, natural, washed, and semi-washed methods.

This coffee has been processed post-harvest using the honey method, in which the pulp (skin) and fruit are removed from the coffee cherry, leaving a thin layer of sticky mucilage. In a washed process coffee, this mucilage would be cleaned off completely before drying, and in a natural process coffee all of the mucilage would be left on during the drying stage. In honey processing, some amount of the mucilage is left on during the drying stage, so its results tend to sit somewhere between the profiles of a washed (clean, acidic, bright) and a natural (fruity, jammy, winey) process coffee. There is no actual honey involved in this process; it is only so named because the mucilage surrounding the coffee bean inside the fruit tends to be sticky and resemble honey.

Learn more at https://www.cafelalaja.com.mx/finca-la-laja/.

Varieties: Catuai, IHCAFE 90, Lempira, Pacas
Growing Altitude: 1,000 - 1,650 masl
Processing Method: Washed

This delightful washed lot is produced by smallholder producers working with Exportadora San Vicente in the Santa Barbara Mountains, a mountainous massif of more than 121.3 square kilometers of surface and a maximum height of 2,750 meters above sea level. The mountain is predominantly a reserve of virgin forest declared a national park in 1987. Farms are located on the mountain at an altitude range of 1,000 to 1,650 meters above sea level.

These farms belong to a group of independent producers who are clients of Exportadora San Vicente. Their relationships with Exportadora San Vicente span more than 25 years. About 70% are small producers with production areas of 4.4 hectares on average.

Our producing partners are dedicated to upholding their coffee-producing traditions, instilled by their parents and grandparents. Most producers are 3rd or even 4th generation coffee producers.

The majority of the farms are relatively young, with an average age of 5 to 10 years. This youth is due to the fact that enormous plant renovation had to occur in the wake of an intense attack of coffee leaf rust (CLR) in 2011 that killed most coffee trees in the region and in much of the rest of the country. The subsequent renovations were carried out with a focus on coffee varieties resistant to rust. 

The resulting coffee is sweet with primarily nutty and citrusy notes, along with some chocolate and florals.

Variety: Bourbon
Growing Altitude: 1,650 – 1,800 masl
Processing Method: Washed

Businde Washing Station, located in the northern province of Kayanza, collects cherry from around 650 local farmers living within about three miles of the station. Matsisi pays 20% above the local market rate for high-quality cherry deliveries, while Businde station's permanent staff receive nearly 60% more than typical casual labor rates. Once the cherries arrive at Businde, they undergo strict quality controls, including controlled fermentation processes and 20 days of drying on African raised beds, resulting in exceptional coffee.

Founded by Matsitsi Zuberi in 2015, Matsitsi Trading focuses on producing high-quality specialty coffee in Burundi. The company operates three washing stations, two in Kayanza province and one in Muyinga province. These stations invest in processing infrastructure and maintain traceability, while contributing to the local communities and sustainability, in the form of wastewater treatment and compost projects from unused coffee pulp.

This coffee brings its fair share of brown sugar and chocolate notes, as well as of orange zest and apple.