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Marcelessa - Juan Diego De La Cerda, Guatemala
Marcelessa - Juan Diego De La Cerda, Guatemala
Tastes like: Calamansi Citrus, Toffee Brittle, Green Grape
- Preparations: Filter, Espresso, and Omni
Light
Seed Dried (Washed)
Lively and Modern
Regular price
$21.10 USD
Regular price
Sale price
$21.10 USD
Unit price
per
Shipping calculated at checkout.
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Marcelessa - Juan Diego De La Cerda, Guatemala
Juan Diego De La Cerda grows the Marcelessa hybrid high in the volcanic soils of Guatemala—a variety that stands as a glimpse into coffee’s resilient future. Bred for both exceptional flavor and climate adaptability, Marcelessa thrives where rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall threaten traditional varieties. Juan Diego’s careful cultivation combines innovation and heritage, producing coffees that burst with sweetness and complexity while proving that sustainability and excellence can grow side by side in a changing world.
The Marcelessa hybrid is a modern cultivar born from the need to protect coffee’s future—a variety that thrives in the face of rising temperatures, pests, and shifting climates without sacrificing sweetness or clarity in the cup. At Torque, we champion producers like Juan Diego De La Cerda, modern-day coffee heroes who embrace innovation to keep coffee vibrant and sustainable for generations to come. Their work with cultivars like Marcelessa isn’t just farming—it’s safeguarding the future of beautiful coffee.
We have been working with Juan Diego since 2009. El Socorro is one of the most award winning fincas in all of Guatemala and is a coffee farm of unsurpassable beauty in the highlands of Central Guatemala roughly 50 kilometers from Guatemala City. El Socorro’s prized coffees are a result of its high altitude location combined with University trained agronomist Juan Diego’s great attention to detail. He has spurred the farm's focus on quality coffee production with advanced processing techniques including warm water fermentation, which speeds up the fermentation process. In this shorter period of fermentation, the coffee grain keeps its density & maintains the coffee's components intact.
Coffee Producer: El Socorro Guatemala
Learn More About This Coffee From Juan Diego De La Cerda
20% Return To Origin: 20% of retail price = $4.23 /12oz bag- $4.50 /lb
20% Return To Origin = The portion of the retail price that remained in the country of origin.
Financial Transparency:
Country Of Origin: Guatemala
Partner Since: 2008
At Torque we believe in buying more coffees from fewer producers and fewer origins We go deep rather than wide. We focus our coffee sourcing to work with a smaller group of like minded coffee producers who share our vision for changing the world of coffee.
Technical Info
Preparation Style: Filter, Espresso, and Omni
Our approach to both sourcing and roasting is that every coffee has to be good enough to stand on its own. No blenders, no base coffees, no filler. We take that same approach to roasting and preparation methods. All of our coffees are excellent in nearly every brew method from pour over to espresso.
That being said we have our preferences and so we label our coffees with Espresso, Filter or Omni as a quick way to guide you.
Subscription Type: Modernist, Espressoist, and Classicist
This coffee will be featured in one of these coffee subscriptions.
Producer and Farm Story
Read More
Finca El Socorro is a coffee farm of unsurpassable beauty in the highlands of Central Guatemala roughly 50 kilometers from Guatemala City.
El Socorro itself is a working farm established in the early 1960s with cows, chickens and food crops all being maintained and grown on-site and alongside coffee bushes. It is located in a high-altitude tropical highland forest with many native trees providing shade for the coffee bushes themselves. All coffee is grown under multiple layers of native shade trees of the zone, just to maintain the biodiversity intact. That has been one big factor that has improved the quality of our cup.
El Socorro’s prized coffees are a result of its high altitude location combined with University trained agronomist (and owner) Diego De La Cerda’s great attention to detail.
He has spurred the farms focus on quality coffee production since the late 1990s with advanced processing techniques including warm water fermentation Instead of using cold water, they have applied hot water to speed up the fermentation process. In this shorter period of fermentation, the coffee grain keeps its density. It also helps maintain the grain’s components pure and natural ( sugars, oils, etc.).
Finca El Socorro is a Rainforest Alliance Certified farm and they go to great lengths to ensure that they are producing coffee in an environmentally sustainable manner.
Producer: Juan Diego De La Cerda
Country: Guatemala
Region: Palencia
Farm: Finca El Socorro
Varietal: Maracaturra, Yellow & Red Bourbon
Process: Honey Processed & Washed
Altitude: 1,850 MASL
Exporter: El Socorro
Importer: Falcon Specialty
SCA Quality Score: 90.75 & 87.5
Parameters
Brew Parameters
Espresso Parameters
Proportional Pricing
Out of the $400 billion coffee industry, a meager 5% stays where it's grown, leaving farmers with crumbs. At Torque, we're rewriting this injustice. Our radical approach ensures equity for coffee producers, shifting power dynamics.
Torque Coffees is transforming the coffee industry with Proportional Pricing©, a simple, transparent system that ensures at least 20% of the retail price of every coffee remains in the country of origin. Unlike traditional models that leave producers with scraps, Torque links their earnings directly to the coffee’s retail value, giving them a fairer share. No hidden fees, no complex formulas or giveback schemes—just clear, upfront equity for the people who grow your coffee. By reverse-engineering the supply chain, Torque is creating a fairer system where both producers and consumers know exactly how much value returns to origin.
We're breaking norms, building a fairer future. Torque Coffees reverse-engineered the chain, advocating for a balanced, equitable industry. It's time to empower those who make your coffee. Together, let's dismantle inequality in the coffee world.
Sustainability Info
Since we are all on the consumption end of things we can never get to carbon neutral without stealing the carbon positive from coffee farmers. So instead of aiming for a negative, we are striving to destroy less and be as carbon beautiful as we can.
The Torque Coffee Bag
100% Plastic Free
100% Compostable & Biodegradable
100% Plant Based
We have partnered with Better Packing Co to be even more carbon Beautiful!
Every order is packed loving in either:
the brilliant ZeroPack mailer Made mostly from limestone quarry waste and a minimal amount of recycled resin as a binding agent.
YES THESE bags are made of freaking limestone!
The Zero Pack is a truly remarkable process!
For larger multi bag orders and for wholesale orders we use the equally brilliant
BAMBOO Box!
These boxes are made mostly from bamboo (and some recycled wood pulp). They are just the thing to ship precious goods in. Curbside recyclable, reusable (at least a couple of times) and compostable.
Unbleached, FSC certified Bamboo (2/3) and recycled wood pulp (1/3).
• Water-based printing ink.
