Coffea Diversa Lrn - Guatemala

Origin: Guatemala, Suchitan
Producer: Jose Padilla and Gonzalo Hernandez
Farm: Coffea Diversa
Altitude: 1600-1650 masl
Variety: Laurina
Process: Honey anaerobic

AGROFORESTRY COFFEE

Coffea Diversa Suchitan is a collaborative project initiated by Jose Padilla and Gonzalo Hernandez. Several years ago, these two coffee enthusiasts decided to take seeds from the original Coffea Diversa Botanical Garden in Biolley, Costa Rica, to establish a new coffee garden in Suchitan, Guatemala.
Coffea Diversa is home to the largest private collection of coffee botanical varieties in the world, featuring around 850 specimens, many of which have yet to produce. Currently, they cultivate micro-lots of approximately 25 different coffee botanical varieties. Similar to a traditional flower garden that showcases a wide range of plants and flowers, the Coffea Diversa Garden contains numerous rare coffee botanical varieties.
This is why they proudly state: “we are not a coffee farm, we are a coffee garden”.

At Coffea Diversa, coffee is shade grown beneath the region's natural native trees. They are intercropped within an agroforestry system that includes Ingas (Inga edulis) and avocado trees.
They believe that their approach to coffee genetic diversity is crucial for sustainable coffee cultivation, as it avoids the genetic uniformity seen in mono-varietal plantations, which are more vulnerable to pests and diseases. Coffea Diversa has pioneered this botanical approach to coffee cultivation, making it unique worldwide.
Most arabica coffee varieties grown globally trace their genetic lineage back to C. arabica Typica and C. arabica Bourbon. As a result, the genetic makeup of nearly all arabica coffee is quite uniform. The variations in flavor arise primarily from the microclimates and geographic conditions of the growing regions, rather than from the genetic diversity of the coffee plants themselves. This genetic uniformity is further reinforced by the largely self-pollinating nature of Coffea arabica. In contrast, Coffea Diversa adopts a different strategy; they cultivate small plots of various botanical variety within a fixed terroir. This means that the differences in flavor profiles stem from genetic diversity rather than terroir.

The name "Coffea Diversa" aptly reflects the essence of their garden, as the Latin terms mean "diversity of coffees" or "coffee of many diverse botanical varieties." Mr. Padilla and Mr. Hernandez explored various coffee regions in Guatemala and concluded that the Suchitan micro-region, located on the eastern side of the country, offered the best conditions for producing exceptional quality coffee.

The variety
Laurina
Laurina is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety that originated in 1860 on Bourbon Island, which is known today as La Reunion Island. There is an alternative theory suggesting that it may be a distinct variety resulting from a natural cross between Coffea mauritiana and Coffea arabica Typica. There are two types of Laurina: Laurina Pointed (also referred to as Bourbon Pointu), which features a tree resembling a small Christmas tree with beans that are pointed on one side, and Laurina Oval, characterized by its long branches and oval-shaped beans.
Laurina plant has short branches and narrow leaves, with beans that are narrow and pointed on one side. Notably, it has a low caffeine content of around 0.5%. This variety is susceptible to diseases, particularly Leaf Rust (Roya), which contributes to its extremely low yield. However, the cherries of Laurina mature earlier than those of other varieties.

The processing
Honey anaerobic
This lot grows between 1,600 and 1,650 meters above sea level. It is harvested at 20 oBx to optimize sugar content, is then left to ferment for 48 hours anaerobically. Finally cherries are pulped and dried on African beds.
*Brix Degrees = oBx.*