DISCOVERY

Huehuetenango

Both of this month’s coffees are from the beautiful region of Huehuetenango in northern Guatemala. The variance of flavour profiles across this remote rural region is impressive, with a wide palette of expressions generated by the varying routines, varietal choices and processing protocols employed by the many small producers here, along with the varying micro-climates high in the Huehuetenango hills.

The extra fermentation step that Sebastiana Gaspar uses gives rise to a more fruit-forward profile, with notes of stone fruit and cascara. The more traditional processing used by Baltazar Mendez gives rise to a transparent profile, typical of Huehuetenango, with a red grape acidity and a deep toffee sweetness.

The highest altitudes in all of Central America

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.

A dry hot wind also blows in from the Tehuantepec plain in Mexico to the north, which protects crops from frost, allowing coffee to grow even higher up the slopes, often above 2000 masl. 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 remoteness also makes sourcing coffee a challenge here, the journey to farms often takes days over unforgiving terrain, and would-be coffee buyers require knowledge of the local dialects, or an experienced guide. We have visited and worked with our Guatemalan partners at Primavera for the past seven years, and have been stunned by the beauty of both the coffees they have been sourcing, and of this captivating region. The variance of flavour profiles across the region is impressive, with a wide 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 high in the Huehuetenango hills.

Sebastiana Gaspar

Sebastiana Gaspar grows coffee not far from the village of Concepción Huista. Many of our recent Guatemalan releases have come from the Huista micro-region, due in part to the excellent quality, and to our partners from Primavera’s focus here, with a warehouse and lab located in San Antonio Huista to better support the producers of the region. 30 years ago, Sebastiana and her family grew basic grains such as corn and beans on their 1.3 hectare farm, but have since invested in quality coffee, and become members of a local female producer cooperative, El Sendero. The cooperative helps producers to get their highest quality coffees to market, and it was through them that Sebastiana met Primavera.

Most of the work on the farm is done by Sebastiana and her husband Tomas. They pass through the farm at least 3 times during harvest, picking only the ripest cherries, before immediately de-pulping and fermenting for around 36 hours, due to the cool and humid conditions here. Thorough washing is followed by a second soak of 6 hours, known locally as a reposo. This equalises moisture content in the seeds, allows for another round of sorting for floaters, and enhances the fruit-forward character in the cup. This is clear in this lot by Sebastiana, with a fresh quality of apricot and a deep sweetness reminiscent of the dried coffee cherry, ‘cascara’.

Sebastiana Gaspar

Washed Caturra & Catuai

Sebastiana Gaspar has a more fruit-forward profile with notes of stone fruit and cascara, enhanced by a further soaking after washing, similar to that used in Kenya.

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.

Baltazar Mendez

Washed Caturra & Pache

Baltazar Mendez has a very clean and crisp profile, with a grape-like acidity and toffee-like sweetness, brought about by the more traditional processing.

BREW GUIDE

V60

When brewing such clean and richly sweet coffees as those in this month’s subscription, we push the extraction higher, in order to showcase their full potential.

This recipe works well for clean, expressive coffees, like those from Huehuetenango.

DATA

15 grams of medium fine ground coffee
250 grams of water 30-50ppm 93°C
CAFEC Abaca or Light roast filters

METHOD

0:00

Add 60g of water

00:45

Pour 65g of water (125g)

1:30

Pour 65g of water (190g)

2:15

Pour 60g of water (250g)

Total brew time: 3:30 minutes

Discovery

A testament to the hard work and dedication of the producers

Coffees from Huehuetenango 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. These lots 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 Huehuetenango is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the producers here, and to the commitment shown to 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.