We recently released a new coffee roast and we’re stoked to tell you all about it! The history of the farm it’s grown on and the process used to make it, play a large part in why we love this roast so much and why we think you will too.
Let’s start by introducing you! Meet Punta Roca:
Punta Roca is from El Salvador and is named after their famous Punta Roca surf break. It's an organic light roast with honey, vanilla, grape and lime flavors. It’s a sweet mix (in more ways than one) and we’ll tell you how we got it that way. We spoke about the coffee supply chain process in a separate post if you would like to familiarize yourself with the journey of making coffee.
Coffee Origins: The Story Behind The Beans
This roast is grown at a farm called Finca Loma La Gloria in El Boquerón near San Salvador. What we love about this farm is the traceability and quality of the coffee cherries they grow. At Finca Loma La Gloria, traceability of the coffee hasn’t always been possible. In 2012, Finca Loma La Gloria, previously owned by Roberto Pimental, was taken over by his daughter Anny. Anny made traceability and quality a priority and made their own mill operational in order to do so. Previously the cherries grown at the farm were sold to other local mills for processing and because of that couldn’t be traced back to the farm. With the mill in operations at Finca Loma La Gloria, the coffee cherries were now grown, picked, and processed right there on the farm making it possible to trace the beans back to them and ensure the quality of the beans is always to their standards. Anny was able to implement sample roasts throughout the season to check on the quality of the batches which means you’re always getting quality beans. Exciting right?
Coffee Processing: The Honey Process
So what’s so special about the processing of Punta Roca? Well, did you know there are multiple different ways to process coffee beans? It isn’t as simple as picking the coffee cherries, drying them, and then roasting the beans. There are three main ways to process beans: washed, natural, and honey. The Punta Roca roast is processed through the honey process. This way is described to be in the middle of the washed and natural processes and there isn’t any honey involved despite that being the name of it. Instead, the name comes from how sticky the beans get while being processed. Honey processing involves removing the pulp and the skin of the cherry but leaving behind some of the sticky, sweet fruit. What’s left is then dried out and the result is a sweet flavor that some describe as tasting like honey or brown sugar was added to the coffee. Pretty cool considering there isn’t any of the sort added and that the name originally had nothing to do with the taste.
Another cool benefit of the honey process is that it requires less water than the washed and natural ways of processing beans. This makes it a more sustainable option which just so happens to be the reason this process was invented. When an earthquake left Costa Rica with a shortage of water they were forced to get creative with the way they processed their coffee. Instead of moving their crop to washing tanks after removing the skin they decided to remove the skin and the pulp and move them directly into the drying process.
CBD Infusion
As you can see the honey process has a lot of pros both in terms of the taste and the impact on the environment. To add a cherry on top, here at Windansea we add a twist, infusing CBD with the natural occurring oils of the coffee beans to help you minimize the jitters the caffeine can give you as well as help you relax while getting you the energy you need to start your day. Wins all around if you ask us!
Ready For A Taste of Punta Roca?
If you’re psyched on this stuff, we think you’ll really like our post on the history of coffee! Check it out here.
About the Author This article was written by Jordan O'Hara, Founder of Windansea Coffee. You can learn more about him here. |