A special selection of Guatemalan coffees, presented by Ambiente
The five Guatemalan coffees can be found from January in both Eska locations and Myšák patisseries, Café Savoy, U Kalendů, Club Ambiente, Kuchyn and UM, according to the flavour profile that matches the particular establishment. They'll be served on the spot, or available to take home in cloth bags to make your own espresso or filter. The motifs were designed and drawn by Guatemalan artist Markos Fischer.
Ambiente baristas, led by head barista Ondra Štökl, went to Guatemala as part of a joint project with Nordbeans, a roastery with which Ambiente has been working for ten years. The aim was to get to know the journey of the coffee bean in detail, to learn and also to meet the local producers.
One of these producers is Felipe Contreras, a young farmer from the Finca Gascón farm, who was in charge of the trip. At the end of the tasting, colleagues selected the beans which, several months later, arrived directly at Ambiente's facilities. The selection includes those from Finca Gascón.
"The aim is to show how important the coffee selection is to us, and that it deserves attention and care. The fact that we are able to select the coffees at harvest time, and directly from the farmers, supports our commitment to choosing the best," explains Ondra Štökl. "All in all, it was an incredible experience that I wish everyone who works with coffee could experience. I appreciate every bean much more now," he adds.
Five coffees, five characters, five flavour profiles
The following coffees will be available from January:
- Cherry-Plum Natural Anaerobico Bourbon, Finca Gascón - at U Kalendů
- Mango-Jasmine Nitro Washed Geisha, Finca Gascón - for classes at the UM Center for Innovation and Education
- Peach and raspberry Natural Kombucha Pacamara, Finca Gascón - at Club Ambiente
- Orange-Apple Washed Yellow Pacamara, Finca Los Manantiales - at Eska Karlín and Eska Letná
- Chocolate-caramel Washed Caturra & Catuaí, Association of Small Farmers Tomastepec - at Myšák Vodičkova, Myšák Holešovice Market Hall, Café Savoy, Kuchyň
"We will be one of the few or maybe even the only ones to introduce these coffees. These are smaller producers who offer only small quantities of beans for each specific variety and processing method. It makes me appreciate all the more that we were able to import the coffees together with Nordbeans," Ondra explains. The beans come from progressive producers, with whom renowned roasters around the world work, such as Terres de Café in France and April in Denmark.
The motifs for each coffee were prepared by Guatemalan artist Markos Fischer, who was one of the baristas' guides. "I talked to people about the legends that are told about the surrounding landscape. There are various stories about idols to whom sacrifices are made to protect nature, protect trees from disease, mountains from landslides and guarantee a bountiful harvest. So I was inspired to draw a figure for each of the coffees, a figure that has the magic that Guatemala holds," says Markos. The varied colours of the motifs underline this inspiration.
