It rained this week! The first rain of the season was Monday, and Wednesday it rained again. I was hoping to wake up to the thrumming on the roof, but instead I woke to the wind chimes and the rain started later. It definitely poured more than I expected--I'm glad we brought in the outdoor cushions! Wednesday morning I took the header picture when I went to feed the ducks: each drip was glowing as the sun tried to push through the clouds.

The rain was definitely a highlight of the week. On the other side of things, both kids stayed home sick from school, we were short staffed, and I worked late every day. I haven't seen my family much, but I'm glad to say that I love my job. We have the best employees: Thursday night we had a staff meeting--always good to get everyone on the same page. And I felt accomplished, because I put together a slideshow of the history of Carolines before the meeting. There's been a lot of changes since 1982!

This weekend we are out at the Draft Horse Classic and Harvest Fair at the fairgrounds. It's free entrance, and there are all kinds of activities and music going on. The trolley is parked next to the Pine Tree Stage, so we get to enjoy live music all day. If you're looking for a weekend activity, come on out. The horses are quite a sight: hard-working and beautiful.

Our coffee of the week is Guatemala Huehuetenango Finca La Providencia Palhu. We're excited to have this back in stock. Huehuetenango is a department and a muncipality in the west of Guatemala, in the highlands, which is known for their coffee production. This bean comes from the La Providencia, which is a third generation coffee farm with their own micro-mill on site. Their mill utilizes gravity to move the beans through the washing process (which we discussed at our staff meeting--check out this video).

This is mountainous country, with coffee grown on hillsides by Maximiliano Palacios, the owner and operator. According to our broker, here, "The heart of La Providencia is a beautifully maintained mill that begins at a highpoint on the sloped property, designed to take full advantage of gravity, where the ripe cherries are placed in water and carried through the depulping process on a series of intricate canals to the drying patios below." I would really like to see that process. If you search for the finca on Google Earth, you can see coffee drying on the patios, surrounded by steep lush mountains.

This is a place of beauty, and it shows in the cup. They take care with their beans, and the result is a product that brings you back for more: it tastes of plums and chocolate, and finishes with a sweet caramel flavor. I'm looking forward to drinking this Guatemalan this week. I always like to know the name of the farmer: thanks Sr. Palacios. Cheers!

--Holly Fike