La Joya Honey | Guatemala

We're excited to mark the return of La Joya Honey, a lactic honey–processed lot from the Solano family at Finca Concepción Buena Vista in San Martín Jilotepeque, Guatemala. First released two years ago as the farm’s first-ever honey process, this method sits between washed and natural coffees, leaving some of the fruit’s mucilage on the bean to build sweetness, texture, and complexity while keeping the cup clean and bright. For this amazing coffee, the cherries are fermented in sealed tanks with lactic acid cultivated from the same lot of coffee, then partially depulped and dried slowly on raised beds. What began as a small experiment by La Joya's microbiologist and fermentation specialist, Adriana, is now a refined, repeatable process. This is all made possible by the Solano’s laboratory, sophisticated wet and dry mills and growing control over fermentation. This returning release is layered and expressive, with tasting and texture notes of hazelnut, soft serve ice cream, and s'mores!