Guatemala Finca La Tormenta Honey Villa Sarchi
Tastes Like: Pink Lady Apple, Cane Sugar, Mandarin Orange, White Grape
Origin: San Agustín Acasaguastlán, El Progreso, Guatemala
Variety: Villa Sarchi
Producer: Roberto Chéves & Ana Recinos
Elevation: 1800 masl
Process: Honey
Finca La Tormenta sits at 1,800 meters in San Agustín Acasaguastlán, on the southern slopes of the Sierra de las Minas, a UNESCO biosphere reserve holding the largest cloud forest in Mesoamerica. The farm borders the reserve, home to the quetzal and the jaguar, and the Chéves family farms with that forest's protection in mind. Roberto Chéves and Ana Recinos run La Tormenta. In April 2026 this Villa Sarchi took first place in the honey category of Flores del Café, Anacafé's national competition. The farm also placed sixth at the 2025 Cup of Excellence with a honey Villa Sarchi. We've been working with Balam and La Tormenta for 4 years now. We love the coffees they produce and we are always excited we get to showcase their work and share it with you.
Pink Lady apple leads, crisp and bright, with cane sugar underneath it from the first sip. Mandarin orange fills the middle of the cup, and white grape comes through in the finish as it cools. The body is silky and the acidity stays bright and clean.
Villa Sarchi is a natural mutation of Bourbon, found in the northwest of Alajuela, Costa Rica, in the 1950s or 1960s. Its cup is known for being bright and sweet, with fruit that shifts with altitude and processing. A single-gene mutation keeps the plant compact, and it usually produces its first crop in its third year. It has low resistance to leaf rust and needs well-fed soil. It is well adapted to the highest altitudes and tolerates strong wind, and World Coffee Research places its best above 1,300 meters in Central America.
The process here is called Hidromiel. Whole cherries are held cold for 90 hours, with conditions set to favor lactic acid bacteria. The cherries are then depulped, and the parchment dries with its mucilage still on. That layer of fruit sugar is what defines the honey process. Pairing a lactic ferment with a honey drying stage is gives the cup its profile. A refined and incredibly well executed honey process, this cup reads clean and coherent throughout. Beautiful fruit and sparkling acidity, leaving the mucilage on adds a layer of complexity to the cup which is evident while it cools without overwhelming the delicate and bright character.