Micro-Lot Guatemala Finca San José Ocaña

Last weekend we ran up to Tahoe for a night, since it was the first sunny weekend in January (I may be exaggerating a bit . . .but not much). My kids love snow, and there was a lot of it up there. We are lucky to live so close to a world-class destination: epic beauty and skiing only an hour away. On this trip we didn’t even ski (the resorts were packed), but the kids had a great time sledding and throwing snowballs at each other. The heated pool was a lot of fun too–and I enjoyed staying inside with a book while they swam.

This is serious business

We also had another coffee cupping this week, for the rest of our employees. We have such a great staff: it’s fun to do events like this with them. Again, everyone had different adjectives to describe the same beans, and we tasted the same three distinctive coffees. This time our Organic Gayo Mountain Sumatra was a clear favorite, which was interesting since in the past many people have preferred an African bean. But last Wednesday the deep sweet tones of the Sumatra were the most popular.

This week we have a micro-lot Guatemalan for you, from the Finca San José Ocaña. This farm has been in the Sanchez family since 1905, over a hundred years. They are constantly improving their operation, and a large part of the farm is dedicated to a natural forest. The property also has its own coffee mill, for quality assurance. This coffee is a bourbon variety of arabica, grown at about 6000 feet elevation.

Growing coffee at this height means the beans are more dense, and that there are lower yields per bush, leading to higher quality in the cup. This is an excellent coffee: ten years ago they won the Guatemalan Cup of Excellence, the most prestigious prize in coffee. In the cup it tastes of Meyer lemon and honey, with a lingering finish of cocoa nibs. It’s delicious.

You can try a cup of this Guatemala Finca San José Ocaña on us with the code Tahoe snow*. There’s more snow coming today, I do believe. If you are a skier, it’s an epic year around here. Enjoy your weekend, and drink good coffee. Cheers!
–Holly Fike

*Code good for one free 12 ounce cup of Guatemala Finca San José Ocaña. Code expires on 2.9.17. 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.