Region: Aldea San Guayaba
San Sur is a 37.8 Hectare farm nestled in the heart of the mountain range in Aldea San Guayaba, Palencia. This estate produces approximately 300 bags of coffee each year. The coffee is grown on the sides of extremely steep volcanic mountains in loamy soil that is very fertile and ideal for the production of coffee. The beans grow amongst Shalum, Grevillea and Moranative trees, which are native to the region and provide shade. The varietals that are grown here are ones that thrive in mountainous regions and cooler temperatures such as Bourbon or Pache which is actually native to Guatemala. San Sur estate employs 6 people permanently, with 40 additional harvesters joining the team each year in late February till the beginning of May. Once the coffee is harvested it is collected by the trucks of Los Volcanes.
The cherries are run through depulpers, a crib and then into fermentation tanks. Fermentation generally takes between 12 and 36 hours depending on the density of the cherry, amount of coffee in the tank and, of course, the coffee itself. Beneficio La Esperanza is equipped with 12 tanks and the building is temperature controlled to ensure a consistent environment. Once fermentation is complete, the coffee is washed and moved in water channels to the pre-dryers. These do an initial wicking away of moisture from the coffee and aid in the consistency of the drying phase. The coffee is then moved to one of the two large concrete drying patios. Drying takes between 10 and 21 days, depending on the coffee and its intended purpose. Parchment is continuously moved on the patio to ensure even drying, and adjustments are made based on the coffee and the weather conditions. When it reaches the designated moisture percentage, it is moved to mechanical dryers to be finished. Here the moisture levels are fine tuned and the coffee is usually in the dryers for no more than three hours.
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Information provided by Falcon Specialty