Guatemala
We have visited and worked with our Guatemalan partners at Primavera for the past nine years, and have been stunned by the beauty of both the coffees they have been sourcing, and of this captivating country. The variance of flavour profiles is impressive, and seems to continue widening; a palette of expressions generated by the varying routines, varietal choices and processing protocols used by the many small producers here, along with varying micro-climates across Guatemala’s many landscapes.
Huehuetenango is located in the north-western highlands of Guatemala, and borders with Mexico. It is home to the highest altitudes in all of Central America, due to the presence of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes mountain range, which peaks at 3837 masl. This creates lots of high altitude land to grow high-quality coffee, an important crop in an area where agriculture is the largest industry.
These high altitudes also lead to very beautiful scenery, something the area is known for, but also to a remoteness not found elsewhere in Guatemala. 9 different ancient Mayan dialects are still spoken here, and the region is home to some of the best preserved examples of Mayan architecture.
Baltazar Mendez
A long drive up into the mountains from Concepción Huista, one of the larger towns in the area, lies Baltazar Mendez’s farm. Here in the Huista micro-region, the landscape is dominated by very small-scale farms and the Mendez family farm is no different, at only 1.1 hectares. Growing and selling coffee provides the main income for the family, like many others in this remote and agriculturally dependent region. They have named the farm Q’antxabina’, the local dialect word for the Guachipilin tree, which provides much of the shade on the farm.
Just a few years ago, Baltazar settled back in Guatemala to start farming with his family, after years as a migrant worker in the US. He sought out the Primavera program in the Huista area, gaining vital knowledge in order to increase and stabilise his income from coffee.
Like many rural farmers, Baltazar is motivated to earn more in order to give his children better opportunities than he had. The family do all of the farm work themselves, transporting baskets of cherry back to their small mill on horseback. Here, they are de-pulped directly and fermented in tanks until the mucilage is broken down. The conditions high in the tropical Guatemalan highlands, characterised by high humidity and cool temperatures, lead to a long, slow fermentation of around 40 hours.
This leads to a crisp and complex expression in Baltazar’s coffee, with notes of red grape balanced by a rich toffee-like sweetness, before a black tea finish.
Las Gardenias
This lot was grown by Eddy Lopez in Huehuetenango, a region we have become rather familiar with over the past few harvest seasons. However, Eddy’s farm Las Gardenias is located near the town of Malacatancito, further south than many of the other producers we have worked with, and not far from the regional capital, Huehuetenango City. The climate here is similar, but there is far greater access to resources and knowledge, allowing Eddy to establish a very different business to those seen in rural northern Huehuetenango.
He has a larger farm, and has been able to invest in environmental measures and unique varietals in order to differentiate himself from other farmers in the region. The local environment is carefully preserved, with native shade trees, and minimal chemical inputs used. He has been able to conserve the habitat of local wildlife on the farm, including that of Guatemala’s national bird, the Quetzal.
Eddy has even invested in certifications in order to cement his environmental work, recently having achieved Rainforest Alliance status on the farm. This lot is of the Geisha varietal, which is starting to be seen more often in Huehuetenango, but still rather rare. Another way Eddy differentiates himself is through processing; this is the only natural lot we have purchased from Huehuetenango for this harvest cycle.
The floral aromas of the Geisha varietal come through in the cup, followed by ripe currant notes and a deep and caramel-like sweetness enhanced by Eddy’s careful natural processing.
Coffees from Guatemala have become a summer favourite for us here in the roastery.
Coming into season at around the same time as Kenyan and Ethiopian lots, these are the perfect penchant to the bright and bombastic flavours of Africa. Most are deeply sweet, with richer flavours of dried fruit, often lifted by complex wine-like acidity. The palette of high quality profiles we find in Guatemala is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the producers under differing circumstances across the country, and to the commitment shown to all of them by our partners at Primavera, in access to market, and in their everyday agronomic support on the ground. We hope you enjoy all of their hard work this month.