INTRODUCTION: Nossa Famiglia, who roasted this coffee, is run by people whose families have farmed coffee in Brazil for generations. The coffee itself is a Guagemalan Antigua microlot grown by the La Armonia Hermosa Cooperative. It was roasted using the Loring Kestrel roaster, which operates with a fixed drum, stirring vanes, and heat supplied by a relatively low temperature/higher volume air stream. This can create a taste balance that accentuates malty and savory flavors; and it takes an experienced roaster to use it well.

OVERALL TASTE: In the first few days after roasting, a savory, stewed apricot taste dominates. After a few days, the characteristic smoked almond and chocolate flavors of the Antigua region become more prominent. In most Antiguas, the acidity is reminiscent of apples; in this coffee I got the impression that the lower temperature convection roast of the Loring added a soupy/savory twist to this. In the first few days of the the roast, it seemed kind of odd and old school, as if a 1912 soda fountain were serving espresso. But after a few days rest, the stewed flavors add complexity to the Antigua taste profile. These observations apply to both the brew and the espresso.

DIALING IN: This is a gentle coffee; so use a medium to high dose. It is also light bodied, so make it as a ristretto, using a high brew ratio, to get the as much body as possible. The taste change smoothly and regularly with temperature; just pick your favorite balance.

WHO SHOULD BUY: Guatemala Antigua is one of the world's great coffee regions; and the La Armonia Hermosa Cooperative is a very good introduction to these coffees. It has the tastes one expects from the region, along with a few added twists to give it some individuality. The major caveat is that those of you who want a a heavy bodied espresso will not get it with this coffee.

I received my 12oz bag of La Armonia Hermosa last week, only two days after the roast date of February 25. This is something of a record. It typically takes 3 days or longer for coffee shipments to arrive out here, on the edge of civilization as we know it. Kudos to Nossa Familia.

For the first few days I experimented with various non-espresso brewing methods: Hario V60 pourover, Clever Coffee Dripper, Yama siphon, Aeropress (with Able Fine filter). All of these worked well with a 1:15 brew ratio (coffee:water). An intriguing floral aroma is present in the the dry grinds, which makes you want to keep on inhaling. The brewed coffee has good acidity, citrus (?) fruit, mulled wine spice tones, and chocolate flavors that emerge strongly in milk (particularly as it cools). The cup is clean, and the body is decent for a Central.

A week past the roast date, some of the lovely initial aromas had faded, and the classic Antigua smokiness began to make itself known. At this point I began to experiment with pulling espresso shots. Centrals (Guatemalans, Costa Ricans) are often a challenge for SO espresso due to high acidity. The floral fruitiness reappeared in espresso, along with dominant chocolate notes in cappuccinos. But a lemon pithy bitterness proved hard to eliminate, which made it difficult for me to enjoy straight shots.

Summary
La Armonia Hermosa from Nossa Familia is a classic Guatemala Antigua coffee: intriguing floral aromas, clean cup, good acidity, spicy, smoky, chocolate. Delicate floral notes fade quickly as the coffee ages. Acidity and relative lack of sweetness make this roast a challenge for espresso, but an excellent choice for brewed coffee.

Thanks for taking the time to do the review. This is a roaster I have tried in the past but not recently due to issues with age at the local shops stocking their coffees. They certainly merit another look with a direct order.

Guatemala Antigua is one of my go to coffees. I almost always have one or two in my green coffee stash. The La Armonia Hermosa is a relatively typical example of this origin. The coffee arrived just a couple days post roast. The coffee was a light roast, city+ with nice lightly sweet aroma with light floral and nut hints in the dry aroma. When moist I got more fruit from the grinds.

The majority of the coffee I brewed as press and vacuum pot. The lighter notes of the coffee faded quick. After day 5 the coffee went through a big change. Early on the coffee had a light fruit and floral note with medium acidity. As the coffee aged those faded and a smoky nut note emerged.

I do not think the coffee was intended to be used as an espresso but I gave it a try anyway. I found it worked best pulled dosed high and short to get the most body out of the coffee. It was an interesting espresso. Light bodied with an acidic zing with the aforementioned floral and fruit notes later developing into a smoked chocolate peanut. The coffee faded fast with milk. I believe you would be best served using this as a brew coffee and not espresso.

In the end I found it to have a rather unique beginning which faded into a more typical Antigua coffee as the bean aged albeit a lighter, mellower Antigua.

Before delving any deeper into responding to these reviews, all of us at Nossa Familia Coffee (me, in particular) would like to express our thanks to everyone who was willing to take their time to review our coffee. Jim, Dave, and John: thank you. And a huge thanks to Dan for allowing this to happen outside of the "Favorite Espresso Blends" reviews and for getting everything set up. As you may be able to tell, having our coffee on Home-Barista.com is a huge honor for me!

Our roaster, Rob Hoos, agrees with many of the reviewers' flavor notes; his cupping notes mention cooked peaches, hibiscus floral, a honey-like sweetness, baking spices, and a slight caramel leading toward chocolate, particularly in the aftertaste. This coffee is, indeed, not an espresso-roast, but I find that it tastes really good as an espresso or macchiato if it's pulled very ristretto-75-100%.

We are phasing out the Guatemalan right now (perfect timing, right?!) so that we will still have some available to brew when our espresso bar opens mid-April. Our Microlot in the meantime will be a Brazilian Fazenda Cachoeira, so check that out if you're interested. And be sure to swing by when the espresso bar opens in about a month-grab an espresso at Barista Pearl and then make the two-block jaunt North to see us and try this Guatemalan Microlot!