ONYX - El Socorro Maracaturra - Guatemala - Washed - Maracaturra

ONYX Coffee Lab is located in Rogers, United State

From ONYX

A cross between Maragogype and Caturra, this variety is a standalone produced by our friend Juan Diego in Guatemala. Grown and processed by the Cup of Excellence winning producer, this coffee exudes notes of soft chamomile and mineral-forward raw sugar.

El Socorro—began its journey under the stewardship of Antonio López Colom, whose early work laid the foundation for a legacy that would span generations. It wasn’t until 1960, however, that the farm truly came back into the Colom family’s fold. Mario De La Cerda and his wife, María Colom, secured the family’s legacy by purchasing a vast expanse of land composed of three distinct properties: El Socorro, San Guayabá, and Rio Arriba. Their acquisition marked a reunion of the family with the land that had once been theirs. Yet, it was their son, Juan De La Cerda Colom, who brought coffee to the farm. With a vision to plant coffee, Juan's father gave him permission, but with a stern warning: "Never become indebted." Heeding this advice, Juan established coffee cultivation in 1980, carefully balancing the farm’s growth with fiscal responsibility. It was a decision that would safeguard the family’s legacy and prepare the way for the next generation.

In 1999, Diego De La Cerda, the third generation to oversee El Socorro, took the helm and began to make transformative changes. His focus extended beyond cultivation—he modernized the farm’s coffee processing techniques, ensuring that each bean harvested was treated with the utmost care and expertise. Today, El Socorro is renowned for its range of coffee varietals cultivated on the farm, and exports its exquisite harvests to ove clients across the world. What sets El Socorro apart is not only its dedication to producing exceptional coffee but also its commitment to the land and its people. The farm sits at a high altitude, a key factor in the quality of its coffee, and has maintained its traditional shade-grown methods. Native trees, preserved to protect the biodiversity of the region, provide the perfect environment for coffee plants to flourish. This innercropping protects the soil from harmful erosion and maintains the microbiome that lies just underneath the roots. This attention to detail, commitment to the earth, and a drive for excellence has put El Socorro on the map time and time again.

WASHED PROCESSED COFFEES
The washed process began less so with the intention of influencing flavor, and more so with the intent of creating an easy-to-dry ubiquitous product that will reduce risk. This process has maintained popularity for its influence on the final cup- coffees processed as ‘washed’ are typically more in line with what consumers expect coffee to taste like. Washed process coffees are celebrated for their high perceived clarity, as well as for a balance in fruit characteristics and acidity, but it is not always that simple. The process of removing the outer layer of fruit once a coffee cherry is, and has been, fairly simple. The post-harvest processing begins the moment the coffee cherries are picked. The cherries are usually inspected, with an initial quick round of hand-sorting, separating the defective coffees before placing them into the hopper of the machine. There are various methods used to remove the outer layer of mucilage from the cherries, the most common machines utilize friction to remove the thin layer of fruit skin from the cherry, followed by a formal fermentation phase meant to break down the sticky fruit layer. During this fermentation, a microbial de-mucilagation takes place, which allows the outer fruit and pectin layer to break down, making the coffee easier to dry. This fermentation process has a wild amount of variability depending on the facility, preferences of the producer, and cultural practice. Additions of water as lubrication through the machine are made most of the time, with an optional underwater fermentation. (Some forgo this, choosing to ferment dry.) Typical times for this post-depulp fermentation are 12-36 hours. This phase also crucially alters the organic acids within the coffee, as sugars and organic acids are transformed, with the best-washed coffees maintaining their complex fruit esters. Once the formal fermentation time is complete, the parchment-sheathed seeds are emptied into some type of washing channel, where they are agitated with rakes or paddles to remove the last of the fruit layer. During this step, the water is refreshed to ensure its capability of separating the fruit layer from the seed. Once the washing is complete, the coffee is taken to some type of drying facility to prepare it for exportation and storage.
While the terms we use to describe specialty coffee processing have stayed static, the methods used for post-harvest processing have adapted to not only now solve the problem of removing the outer sticky layer of fruit from the seed, but many producers now see this as an opportunity to influence the final taste profile of the cup. Seeing this final cup as malleable has led producers to use post-harvest processing to influence flavor through the control of variables. Outside of the well-known variable of the level of fruit left in contact with the seed over the drying, there are now a whole host of data points to monitor, even within the ubiquitous description of ‘washed processed.’ There are levels of fermentation, as we assume the level of fruit left on within this washed description is fixed. (at or near zero, after depulp, which we will discuss later.) The variables adjusted to add value while transforming the final cup are as follows: time, environment, and additives. Environment and time are closely tied, as certain fermentations will have a greater effect as the temperature increases in the given environments. Some producers have now taken on a less-than-passive approach when it comes to the environment, choosing to allow oxidation to take place, or by restricting the contact of oxygen to the seeds. (What we in the industry incorrectly call “anaerobic fermentation.) This variability in the environment is also sometimes coupled with an addition of yeast, fruit, spices, or even organic acids as inoculants or catalysts for reactions. As the world of post-harvest processing continues to shift and innovate, we strive to better understand and articulate the way the final cup has been shaped with better descriptors for the process.