Among the tens of thousands of coffee estates worldwide, there are commercial bean producers serving the mass market, as well as top-tier estates specializing in specialty and rare varieties. Today we focus on the renowned Injerto Estate from Guatemala. Located on the famous Huehuetenango highlands, this estate has been run by the Aguirre family for generations since 1900, and its name comes from a local fruit. The estate not only insists on organic cultivation and ecological protection, but also holds Rainforest Alliance certification, and since 2002 it has frequently won awards in international coffee competitions. Its auction lots once set a world record of $500.50 per pound, and the Pacamara variety accounts for only 8% of total production, with a full and varied flavor. Front Street Coffee will also combine this information to sort out Injerto Estate's varieties, flavors, and regional highlights for enthusiasts.
There are more than 10,000 coffee estates in the world. Among them are estates mainly producing commercial beans in large quantities, origins focused on high-quality coffee beans, and another category dedicated to growing rare varieties. Today we introduce a highly prestigious top-tier estate from Guatemala—Injerto Estate.
[Estate Introduction]
Injerto Estate is located in Guatemala's well-known Huehuetenango highlands, where the Aguirre family has been growing coffee since 1900. The estate name "Injerto" comes from a local fruit. The estate places special emphasis on ecological protection and organic cultivation, and implements strict quality management to ensure the quality of green coffee beans. Through the efforts of the Aguirre family, Injerto Estate obtained Rainforest Alliance certification and, since 2002, has frequently taken top honors in international coffee competitions.
Injerto Estate (also translated as Grafted Estate) can be considered second to none in Guatemala; if it claimed second place, probably no one would dare claim first. It has won numerous world-class competition awards, thereby establishing its current status. Last year, the estate owner further elevated the estate's reputation to a new height by following the example of Panama's renowned Hacienda La Esmeralda, and Injerto Estate (Grafted Estate) also held a global auction event; the auction beans it presented were naturally extraordinary. In particular, in 2012 the first lot of "Mocha variety" sold for a sky-high price of $500.50 per pound, setting a world record and making Injerto Estate a truly star estate.
In this auction, Injerto Estate specially launched the "Best of Injerto" series, selecting a small number of the finest lots and coffee varieties from the estate. Experienced farmers hand-select ripe coffee cherries, and then cuppers eliminate lots that do not meet the standard. Under such strict screening, Injerto Estate's Pacamara variety accounts for only about 8% of total production.
[About the Pacamara Variety]
In 2004, Pacamara rose to fame at the Cup of Excellence (COE), and in the following two to three years it frequently won championships. The Pacamara produced by Guatemala's Injerto Estate already set a high price of $80.20 per pound of green beans in 2008.
Origin of the variety and name: Pacamara is a variety derived from crossing Maragogype and Pacas. The first four letters of Maragogype and Pacas were combined to form Pacamara, and it was developed in El Salvador. Its coffee beans are very large, close to Maragogype, about 21–22 screen size, and it is one of the best coffee varieties in Central and South America in recent years. Every country or farm hopes to find the region most suitable for growing this variety in order to produce the highest-quality coffee, just like Panama's Geisha. The characteristic of Pacamara coffee is bright fruit acidity, with a very fragrant, pure, and delicate sweetness. Although the appearance of the Pacamara variety is still quite similar to its cousin—the Maragogype variety.
Since 2006, COE has cupped Pacamara from 30 estates, some of which have flavors that can be called superstars, such as 2006 Honduras champion Santa Martha, 2007 El Salvador third place Cerro Negro (Black Mountain Estate), Guatemala's regular CoE champion estate El Injerto, and 2008 El Salvador runner-up Pacamaral Estate; these are all excellent representatives of Pacamara, but they are all award-winning lots, so the prices are very expensive.
Pacamara has a full, rich, and varied flavor. Few coffee varieties have both fruit acidity and still obvious sweetness, with diverse variations such as stone fruits, herbal plants, tropical fruits, chocolate, and spicy sweetness.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
