lemon bar, fresh strawberry, caramel
Since 2012, Guatemala Retana's Yellow and Red Bourbon has been gracing our cupping table annually with its unique acidity and remarkable balance. The years come and go: the little red head that was scooting around the floor of our roastery has just finished second grade! But for the Cofino family, who we've always bought this Yellow and Red Bourbon from, these eight years are a fraction of the one hundred year plus legacy of their coffee farm.
Fernando Cofino's forward thinking has always inspired us, whether he was considering interesting variety separations, or encouraging his employees to grow their own microlot gardens and send their children to the school that Retana shares with the local community. But your coffee farm doesn't get to be over 100 without having something to say about the importance of patience, dedication and graceful perseverance. Volcano eruptions, political unrest, coffee leaf rust: Cofino's family and farm have endured great turmoil. We have enormous respect for Cofino's innovations and tenacity--through it all, we can set our clocks by when his coffees arrive in our roastery.
Every year, Cofino's coffee is excellent and some years it is stellar. Lucky for all of us, this is another one of those stellar years.
In fact, it tastes like the dessert we had with our almost third grader last night, when all of those years held still and we savored the sweetness of the moment. A little secret we learned about time, perspective and legacy from Mr. Cofino and Finca Retana.
