The coffee we offer as Pulcal is from the old Carmona farm in Antigua.
Maria Zelaya has a special pride in this special place, which shows in the coffee, the dairy cows, the flowers, the coffee millA coffee mill might mean a coffee grinder, but we usually use the term to refer to a coffee processing facility, either a Wet-Mill or a Dry Mill.... ...more, and just about everything at this amazing place!
I visited here quite a few times over the years, and while I would not call this a cutting edge farm, it is simply a classic old estateA "coffee estate" is used to imply a farm that has its own processing facility, a wet-mill. In Spanish this is called an Hacienda. A Finca (farm) does... ...more that consistently produces great coffee.
Maria’s nephew Luis Pedro Zelaya has encouraged some changes here, but Maria is reluctant to deviate from the “tried and true”.
Enjoy this beautiful place! -Tom
Welcome walkway at La Carmona – Back to Antigua …An archway of old Bourbon and Caturra coffee trees greets you …Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Final pickings, Sorted. – When you do the last pass on a part of the farm, you clean off the trees of all cherry, here are ripe cherry plus some on the over-ripe, dry side. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Sorting coffee after picking… – This is where quality comes from – having each picker sort their coffee at the end of the day, before submitting it! Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Separating green from red at Carmona – When cleaning, the trees are pretty much strip-picked, separating the green as you go, then sorting it out again at the end of the day. Here a canasta (basket) of underripes and partial ripes (camagua). Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Puppy love – How could anyone NOT take a picture of this guy? A coffee pickers dog at Carmona Estate 
Separating green from red at Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Sorting coffee after picking – A social time to sit and talk, weigh in coffee, and get paid. Most pickers in Antigua come for the harvest from Quiche area. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Sorting coffee after picking – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Maria Zelaya’s cows – When you ask the owner, Maria Zelaya, about her dairy cows she becomes very animated. Each is milked by hand, each has its own feeding/milking spot with a name placard above. And they are named for her friends, her siblings and grandchildren! Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Pipo, the Boxer – This is the character … he did not even lift his head so much as move from his spot on the graden path. Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Harvested Flowers – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Pipo the “don’t bug me” dog – In about an hour spent in Maria’s garden, Pipo did not move. I wasn’t going to try. Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Orchids: Orquídeas – Small, delicate orchids at Carmona Garden. Antigua Guatemala 
Nasturtium – Spicy! But they do not eat nasturtium here. Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Flower – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tea roses – Small delicate roses in the Carmona garden. Antigua Guatemala 
Classic rose hedge bushes – These are an old style of rambling rose. Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Old 5 petal roses – Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Fritz in the garden – He is not as old as he looks, and moves at the pace of a tortoise. But a very friendly guy. Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Massive 80 year old bamboos – Even the rhizome base of this was around 8 feet tall, the bamboo itself about 50 feet. Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Veranda of Vines – Maria uses vines and old wood to build archways and verandas in her garden. Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Epiphyllum – I believe this is a type of Epiphyllum Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Local orchids – Local orchids collected in the moutains. Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
The Bank – The window where you used to get paid at the farm. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Carmona Crest – At the entrance to the main house, the tiled crest. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Totem – This large jaguar/god head was found decades ago when they excavated to build the main hosue at Carmona. It’s about 2 feet across. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Frownie – Small totemic item found on the farm. From Olmec classic or post classic period. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Artifact – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Artifact – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Small Faces – Found on the Carmona Estate in Antigua Guatemala 
Iris? Orchid? – It looks like an orchid, but it looks like an Iris. What is it? Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Maria’s Garden at Carmona – A rustic and beautiful garden is found at the home, with divserse heirloom flowers, and many collected from the mountain areas surrounding the farm. Antigua Guatemala 
The garden at Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
The garden at Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Ornamental succulent – Tell me what it is please , because I would love to know. Carmona garden, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Antracnosis, Anthracnose – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Anthracnose fungus, advanced stage – Anthracnose is a larger problem in Guatemala that Roya (Rust fungus). Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Grevillea shade trees over coffee plants – Good shade tree management at Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Luis Pedro – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Bourbon coffee at Tablon El Intelligente – Bourbon cultivar, Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Tablon El Intelligente, Carmona – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Traditional pulpers at Pulcal mill – Like everything else, the mill uses traditional pulpers and fermentation, along with patio drying. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Pulped coffee – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Pulper – Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Coffee in the fermentation tank – The cherry seemed very mature and had a red-yellow color. There were many dried pods (secos) but these come out as floaters in washing. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Weigh scale for parchment. Pulcal mill at Hacienda Carmona – A typical "portable" scale to weigh cherry or parchment. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Lot separation at the Carmona bodega – Day lots are amounts of coffee that are processed together, dried together, and kept separate so (at least in our case) they can be cupped separately. Quality can vary from day to day. We try to chose the best. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala 
Cafe Pulcal is the name of the mill at Hacienda Carmona – It’s also an older name for part of the farm, and what we call our day-lot selections that we offer from Carmona. Antigua Guatemala 
Machine Washed Coffee – One thing that is not exactly traditional is a washing machine to help remove the mucilage after it is fermented. These are gentle and really help make sure the coffee is clean when it hits the patio to dry. Carmona Estate and Pulcal Beneficio, Antigua Guatemala
