Last Thursday, I was walking home from morning class at Centro Linguistico Maya when I noticed light whispers of smoke lingering in one of the busier intersections in town (7th Ave. and 6th Calle). I edged a bit closer, stopping to ascertain the presence of the smoke (was there a motorcycle collision?). Then it hit me, an odor that I not only had smelled prior, but one which has on many occasions saturated my hair, clothes, and room: the aroma of roasting coffee.
Turning around to look for the source, I realized where I was, almost directly in front of La Tostaduria Antigua, a local coffee and cacao roastery. I had previously purchased cacao from there, but had not stumbled upon a batch of coffee roasting. Feeling more confident in my Spanish skills, I inquired of the employee, which is the freshest coffee (Cual es el cafe mas fresco?). He pointed to a bin containing roasted coffee that was somewhat dark for my tastes, but at least very even in roast color. I took his word for it, and purchase ½ lb., for 18 Quetzales, about $2.25. Now, the price should have raised some flags, but unfortunately, problems were not realized until I returned home.
Opening the paper bag to reveal the contents, I was greeted by another unmistakable aroma, though not one I'd like to be associated with...the smell of really old coffee, spoiled by age. I had smelled it several times before when I forgot about bags of coffee scattered around my dorm room, only to locate them 2 months past their roast date. That was the smell of La Tostaduria's “freshest coffee”. Not letting that stop me, I decided to take a closer look at the coffee. Aside from the darker than I thought color, I notice a couple of abnormalities: a roasted twig, some pieces of parchment and husk, and actually half of a coffee cherry, roasted with the bean intact! Clearly, low price coffee means low grade, too.
The search for quality whole bean coffee in Antigua continues...
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2 comments:
& Café aren't as bad as most places, if you see one around Antigua it's a little slick but interesting to see. Sometimes you can even run across shops selling coffee roasted @ El Injerto. I stumbled into a Gelato place in Guatemala city(zone 10) that was offering Injerto espresso. Pretty stale but actually better than most shots served here in Boston.
I am intrigued to get a big bag of cacao in one of our green shipments. Always wanted to foray into a bit of cacao roasting to see what I can do with it.
There are a few fincas not too far out worth visiting but depends on how adventuresome you get. I have some Antiguas picked out this year so I will head back there in the fall and see how we can continue to improve.
If you get the chance to make it to Lake Atitlan I highly recommend it. Not only is it a beautiful place, but you can visit Crossroads cafe in Panajachel and find some good beans. It's owned by a guy named Mike Roberts, an American who buys green beans at the same prices we pay here in the states so he'll have good stuff. I should note that I'm partial in my suggestion as I learned how to roast there.
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