Xela House Café-Medium Roast-From Chica Bean
It was through this captivating brew, full of balanced body with rich dark chocolate, sweet orange, and brown sugar swirls, that we realized these women from Jalapa, Guatemala weren’t producing just any old cup of coffee; they’re creating something special. The only thing that may be even more delectable than actually drinking this coffee is the knowledge that this quality is transforming the community, opening opportunities, and empowering farmers.
Xela House Café-Dark Roast-From Chica Bean
A Dark Roast is the preferred coffee of those who like to describe their morning brew as strong or, as my mom would claim, a cup of mud. Through a carefully monitored roasting process, Evelin is able to highlight the intense toasted flavors that are typical of Dark Roasts without burning all the natural flavor out of the seeds. She does not simply turn the coffee beans from green to brown; she strategically guides them through a rollercoaster of heat and air until the sugars naturally found inside are perfectly caramelized.
Xela House Café-Espresso-From Chica Bean
An Espresso Roast refers to a coffee that has been strategically roasted to give particularly excellent results when prepared via an espresso machine. Because of the techniques Evelin uses when roasting, these beans create a cup of coffee that’s creamy and balanced, showcasing deep sweet flavors like burned sugar, dark chocolate, and panela while still leaving room for a slightly fruity brightness that shines from the back. An Espresso Roast is typically on the darker side, which helps create that textured body as well as crema, the luscious cream layer on top of an Espresso Shot. While these are certainly the characteristics of an ideal Espresso, you can (and should!) absolutely, 100% enjoy this coffee brewed with pretty much any coffee device.
Xela House Café-Natural Process-From Chica Bean
The process refers to the strategy used to transform a ripe coffee fruit into a dried seed that can then be roasted. The most common strategy is the Washed Process, meaning that after harvesting, the coffee fruits are pulped and then soaked in water, which creates an environment conducive to fermentation that eats away at the nectar covering the seeds. After this “bath,” the seeds are no longer sticky and are then dried for several days before being bagged up. In a Natural Process, the coffee fruits are harvested and then immediately laid out to dry. No pulping, no washing, nothing. The whole fruit stays on the seed throughout the whole drying process, which takes upwards to 30 days, and is the cause of the incredible sweet and, well, fruity flavors you find in this coffee.
Xela House Café-Honey Process-From Chica Bean
The process refers to the strategy used to transform a ripe coffee fruit into a dried seed that can then be roasted. The most common strategy is the Washed Process, meaning that after harvesting, the coffee fruits are pulped and then soaked in water, which creates an environment conducive to fermentation that eats away at the mucilage, or nectar type gel, covering the seeds. After this “bath,” the seeds are no longer sticky and are then dried for several days before being bagged up. In a Honey Process, the coffee fruits are harvested, pulped and then immediately laid out to dry. The mucilage stays on the seed throughout the whole drying process, which takes around 20 days, and is the cause of the incredible sweet and, well, honey-like, nectary flavors you find in this coffee.
No honey is actually used in the production of Chica Bean’s Honey Process, although with its natural sweetness, it wouldn’t be surprising if there was!