Fresh Roast: Guatemalan Vista Hermosa Peaberry
One of my latest happy finds is the 1lb bag of Vista Hermosa beans that I got through Burman Coffee Traders. You can order the standard green beans, or just get a bag of the peaberries. Peaberries form when something interferes with the growth of the cherry, and instead of producing two beans, the fruit only has one. These beans have a more rounded shape, rather than the typical flat-on-one-side bean and depending on the coffee type, are either prized for their rich, more intense flavor or simply discarded as bad beans. In the case of the crop from Vista Hermosa, they definitely fall into the prized category.
You may recall, I had some problems with my first purchase of Huehuetenago beans from Zach and Dani’s in getting the roast right. Perhaps it’s a year of experience, but these beans gave me no trouble at all. Roasted a bit dark, the sweetness of these beans really pops through with flavors of chocolate and caramel, and just a lingering touch of melon. In fact, in 2004, Vista Hermosa won the Guatemalan Exceptional Cup award with their coffee. They remain consistently one of the best coffees out of Guatemala and are used for the sample coffee at Ana Cafe from the Huehue region.
The Vista Hermosa estate is a sustainable growth operation that produces shade-grown and organic beans, and is thought to be one of the best places of employment in the region. They even have a blog that is up to date with their latest coffee news.
