Guatemala Hacienda Carmona: Sample Coffee Roasters

Guatemala
Hacienda Carmona

Hacienda Carmona is an incredibly beautiful estate located on the fertile slopes of the Hunahpú Volcáno in the heart of the Antigua Valley. In the cup, we find notes of dulce de leche, raisin, and milk chocolate.

Body Acidity

Roasted omni for filter and espresso

Hacienda Carmona is an incredibly beautiful estate located on the fertile slopes of the Hunahpú Volcáno (also called Agua in Spanish), in the heart of the Antigua Valley. Coffee was first planted here in the 1800s, and many of the original Typica and Bourbon varieties originally planted remain today and contribute to the elegant and distinct flavour profile this special farm produces.

At 700 Hectares in size, Hacienda Carmona is quite a large estate. Some 150 hectares are dedicated to coffee, and around 500 to natural reserve. In addition to its stunning homestead (with gardens inspired by a trip the family took to France in the 1800s), the estate raises Holstein cattle, and now includes a restaurant and mountain biking track.

Hacienda Carmona is owned by the Zelaya family, who have been growing coffee for over 100 years. Walking around Carmona is like taking a trip through the Zelaya family’s history: this was the first estate purchased by patriarch Luis Pedro Aguirre, and is now managed by fourth-generation producer Ricardo Zelaya (of Santa Clara Estate).

Before Ricardo took over operations, Carmona was owned by his aunt, Maria Zelaya Aguirre who inherited the farm in 1959. For decades, Maria grew coffee following more conventional techniques, but in 2012, after a bout of leaf rust decimated the farm, Maria decided to completely overhaul the agricultural practices and focus on producing higher quality, specialty grade coffee.

With the help of her nephews Luis Pedro and Ricardo Zelaya, Maria began to upgrade Carmona, renewing and establishing new plots, and making changes to the agricultural practices in place. By focusing on improving plant nutrition, irrigation and pruning techniques Maria was able to get better quality and productivity from her crop. More organic farming practices were also introduced, like the use of cow manure from the estate’s Holstein dairy cows to fertilise the trees.

Over a decade on, these efforts have resulted in greater yields, healthier trees and an across-the-board improvement in the quality of the coffee produced! Having spent more than five decades at the helm of Carmona’s operations, Maria eventually decided to retire, choosing to hand the reigns over to Ricardo and Luis Pedro. Sadly, Maria passed away in early 2024, yet her passion for producing beautiful Antiguan coffees and celebrating the family’s heritage lives on through the work of her two nephews at the farm.

Sourcing and ingredients

100% Bourbon coffee beans, provided by Melbourne Coffee Merchants and roasted by us on Gadigal land / Sydney.

Country grade: Unknown ?

Packaging

Bag: ABA Certified home compostable
Label: Recyclable
Valve (on bags larger than 250g): General waste
Coffee ordered online is shipped in a recyclable cardboard box

Brewing this coffee

We recommend brewing this coffee 15–49 days post-roast. If pre-ground, brew as soon as possible. Our advice on storing coffee.

1:3
dose:yield
ratio

To brew on espresso, we recommend using 20g of beans (dose) to get 60g of espresso out (yield), during 24-28 seconds.

g dose

g yield

View the how to brew espresso (single origin) guide.

1:16.7
beans:water
ratio

To brew in infusion/fed brewers (V60, Chemex) use a ratio of 1:16.7 ratio of beans:water.

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:14.3
beans:water
ratio

To brew in immersion brewers (plunger, AeroPress, Kalita, batch brewer) we recommend using a 1:14.3 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

1:12
beans:water
ratio

To brew as cold brew we recommend using a 1:12 ratio of beans:water

g beans

g water

View full recipes and videos in our brewguides

Producer: Ricardo And Luis Pedro Zelaya
Farm/Coop: Santa Clara Estate
Country: Guatemala
Region: Antigua
Altitude: 1620-2000m above sea level
Varietals: Bourbon
Process: Washed
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Dulce de leche, raisin, brown sugar
Roast style: Omni

Varietals

Bourbon varietal

A natural mutation of the Typica varietal, Bourbon is named after Reunion Island (then known as Il Bourbon) where the French cultivated the Typica plants which naturally mutated.

The location

Coffee from Guatemala

Guatemala’s production of coffee first grew in the 1860s on the back of a declining indigo trade, which had previously existed as it’s main export. Up until 2011 Guatemala was in the top 5 highest producing coffees nations in the world, before being overtaken by Honduras.

The Antigua region of Guatemala

Antigua is a region defined by rich volcanic soil, low rainfall and lots of sunshine. It is situated in the shadow of Fuego, one of Guatemala’s three active volcanoes

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.