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.
The Jalapa region is much further south than Huehuetenango, lying much closer to the Guatemalan capital Guatemala City. Jalapa has begun to feel the effects of urbanisation, with higher costs of production and rising land values leading to some difficulty in maintaining a profitable coffee farm. Agriculture is still the largest industry here, mainly growing corn, beans and dairy products, but also several varietals of fruit to export to El Salvador. Concepción is located near the town of Mataquescuintla, close to the regional capital of Jalapa city.
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.
The Braun Valle Family
Finca Concepción was founded in 1890 as a cattle farm, with a small amount of coffee planted in the early days. The farm was bought by the Braun Valle family more than a hundred years ago, sold to them by a Spanish family settled in Mataquescuintla, to whom the farm was allocated by colonial powers to focus on coffee business and cattle farming. In the intervening years, several generations of the Braun Valle family have grown the farm into a quality coffee business, increasing the area planted with coffee fivefold. The farm is constantly renovated with new plant material, but some of the Bourbon trees from the initial plantings in 1890 still remain, with deep root systems and mangled trunks.
The approach to agriculture here is very professional, planned and timed throughout the year so as to follow the coffee tree’s natural cycle. The shade is controlled in order to maintain ideal conditions, and the use of chemical fertiliser and herbicides is minimised. Recirculated water is used for processing, and coffee is sun-dried on patios.
The current generation of the family, Vanessa Braun Valle has recently stepped up her focus on quality and speciality coffee, planting a garden of exotic varietals in 2020. This lot is from this garden, from the very young Pacamara trees. The cherries are de-pulped before fermenting for 36 hours before washing and drying on patios over about two weeks.
This leads to a clear expression of Pacamara, with complex floral and herbal aromas alongside a creamy body.
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.