Guatemala La Perla
It’s hard to believe that a mere five days ago I woke up at the coast, less than a hundred yards from the ocean. It was a foggy, cool morning, and the first thing I did was brew a French press of coffee. We are so lucky to live and work in a state where you can drive from mountaintops to ocean side in a day. Even in a yellow ’68 Bronco.
There’s no good way to photograph a 300 foot tall tree.
We had the top off the Bronco, and the fog made it a bit chilly along the coast. But on Saturday morning we drove inland along the Navarro river, and the further we got, the warmer it became. I’ve never been down that stretch of road before, and the sights were amazing. We wandered the old growth redwoods at Hendy Woods State Park: it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen redwoods, they’re awe-inspiring.
Saturday evening we stayed in Yountville, the same place we honeymooned ten years ago. Trace discovered the same thing he did at that time: if you get up early, it’s hard to find coffee. Luckily we had our trusty French press to save the day.
This week’s coffee of the week is a Guatemalan masterpiece. I’ve been enjoying it all day long–I’ve probably had too much coffee today (is there such a thing?) because I like it so much. It’s smooth and balanced, sweet, but not syrupy. It has a medium body, and it would be absolutely decadent with the pain au chocolat that our baker added to the menu.
La Perla is a rather large estate in central Guatemala, that has placed in a number of Cup of Excellence competitions. It is employee owned, and run mostly by indigenous Mayan people. The coffee is grown at high elevations, which minimizes the yield and creates this strictly high grown bean.
You can sample the Guatemalan La Perla on us this week with the code medium body*. Also, I highly recommend going away once in a while–it was rejuvenating. My peace and patience levels rose while I was gone, and I feel like my pace slowed down this week. It probably also helped that no one was sick. If you manage even a short trip, do take good coffee, and a French press in case no one is open early. Cheers!
–Holly Fike
*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Guatemala La Perla. Code expires on 9.25.14. Limit one free cup per customer please. Valid only at Carolines Coffee Roasters, 128 S. Auburn Street, Grass Valley, CA. Code/Offer has no cash value.