the story of our flagship bean
Acatenango La Torre
Acatenango La Torre
Our Story
When you step into one of our shops and ask, “What is your most popular roast?”, you will hear about our beloved Acatenango La Torre Natural. At medium roast, it offers a balanced mix of chocolatey and fruity notes. But it’s more than this. It’s the heart of our roastery. It reflects a story of tradition, passion, and sustainability.
Relationship with our farm
Our flagship coffee comes from the Perez family farm, Finca La Torre - managed by one of our co-founder Christian's cousins. Finca La Torre, is owned by Ernesto Perez, who offers us this direct trade 100% Bourbon nano-lot coffee, usually reserved for family and friends.
Before starting Blue Hummingbird Coffee, Christian would bring freshly roasted coffee from Finca La Torre for his family and friends. It was over shared pots of Acatenango that the idea for Blue Hummingbird Coffee was born.
To launch BHB Coffee, the co-founding team focused on creating a diverse portfolio of coffee from multiple origins, aligning with their values of quality and sustainability. The process began by understanding the farms and producers, cupping hundreds of coffees from various origins, ensuring the highest standards of quality and sustainability.
History & Geography of the Farm
The Perez family has been cultivating this land for seven generations, dating back to the 17th century. Their home is a living museum filled with family heirlooms and memories.
Finca La Torre is nestled amidst the rolling hills and sharp inclines of the Acatenango Valley, just 60 miles from Guatemala City. This region is part of the rich agricultural land that defines Guatemala's landscape.
The majestic Acatenango volcano looms in the background. Though tranquil in appearance, the volcano enriches the soil with minerals through occasional ash falls.
Sustainability
Finca La Torre is built on the multi-generational wisdom of sustainable farming, where centuries-old best practice meets modern agronomy. For example, tropical sheep wander through the plantation, naturally curbing weeds and enriching the soil, while mountain spring water nourishes the coffee plants.
Throughout the years, they have experimented with a sustainable and water-friendly way of processing coffee beans called Natural processing, which is common in African artisanal coffee, but rare in Latin America. The resulting coffee from this processing method has a rich and complex aroma and flavor profile.
They cherish every parcel of land, where many cultivars of Arabica grow and fruit trees (and the birds that come with them) offer a protective canopy, contributing to the farm's biodiversity. Every visit to the farm ends with a cup of coffee, the product of the land's labor.
The Beans
The coffee beans grown at the high altitude of Finca La Torre develop uniquely, benefiting from the region’s low humidity, intense sun, cool nights, and mineral-rich volcanic soils. Only the finest beans are selected for the dry process, ensuring bold results.
At medium roast, it offers a balanced mix of chocolatey and fruity notes and is favored by our founders for their daily brew. This coffee is ideal for Espresso, Pourover, French Press, Cold Brew, and Aeropress.
