Description
Hoja Blanca, Huehuetenango — Guatemala
Guatemala Hoja Blanca
Florencio Villatoro
Huehuetenango • Process Washed • Variety Caturra, Bourbon • Elevation ~1,500-1,700 masl
QUALITIES: bright • citrus-forward • sweet
RECOMMENDED ROAST: Light-Medium
CHAFF LEVEL: Medium
Flavor Profile
Bright Citrus/Orange • Sweet Red Fruit • Malt • Nutty
Sweet, bright, and exceptionally clean. Lighter roasts (City) highlight the sparkling orange and citrus acidity. Pushing toward a medium roast (City+) rounds out the cup, developing the red fruit hints and malty undertones and adding a nice caramel sweetness, resulting in a perfectly balanced and clean cup.
Roasting Notes
A Classic Huehue Washed Bean
This is a classic dense SHB (Strictly Hard Bean) from Guatemala, making it very easy and forgiving to roast. It’s versatile, but we recommend light to dark . Lighter roasts will be zippier, highlighting the orange acidity. Medium roasts will build more body and sweetness, bringing the melon and toffee notes forward. A great, balanced cup at almost any roast level.
TASTING NOTES — ROASTING NOTES
Light Roast (City)
Juicy body — Orange/Bright Citrus — Sweet — Sparkling acidity — Clean finish
Medium Roast (City+)
Balanced — Sweet Melon/Caramel — Rounded acidity — Syrupy body — Very sweet
Dark Roast (Full City)
Round body — Caramel/Toasted Sugar — Low acidity — Sweet finish
THE PRODUCER
Florencio Villatoro
At fifty-something, Florencio Villatoro is incredibly diligent and active despite having suffered numerous setbacks. He is one of the younger brothers of Aurelio Villatoro, winner of the COE award and owner of Finca Villaure; Pedro Villatoro, of the consistently brilliant Guayabales lots; Juan Villatoro, of El Milagro; and the older brother, Julián, of the Los Olivos lots. Florencio’s diligence has been rewarded with regional, national, and international awards. In the 2022 harvest, El Diamante placed tenth in the One Of A Kind Guatemala auction with a natural Bourbon and twenty-eighth in the Cup of Excellence with a washed Maragogype (which we had available).
Florencio started young, with a coffee nursery and a small plot of land his father gave him. He has worked diligently since he was 13. At 25, he suffered a tragic car accident that injured his leg, but he has continued working, innovating, and thriving with the support of his family.
Florencio’s wife, Lesvia Marilú López, has worked actively on the farm for decades. Now, their four children, Riner, Maikel, Yelsin, and Danita, are adults who live and work on the farm. On any given afternoon, during the hustle and bustle of the harvest, you might see Florencio turning the rows of parchment in the yards or laughing with his grandchildren while Riner weighs the cherries picked by the harvesters and Maikel tastes the day’s batches with his cousins in the family laboratory.
Florencio has a great sense of humor and, like the rest of his family, is kind and generous; an excellent host. He loves chatting with his friends, spending time outdoors, watching soccer games with the community, and spending plenty of time with his family.
THE REGION: HOJA BLANCA, HUEHUETENANGO
The Terroir of Huehuetenango
Huehuetenango is one of Guatemala’s three non-volcanic regions, known for its high-altitude mountains and limestone-rich soils. What makes this area truly special are the hot, dry winds that blow in from the Tehuantepec plain in Mexico. These winds protect the region from frost, allowing coffee to be cultivated at extreme altitudes (up to 2,000 meters).
This unique combination of high altitude and dry weather results in the classic “Huehue” profile: a bright, sparkling acidity (often citrusy or malic), a juicy body, and deep, balanced sweetness. Hoja Blanca is a celebrated micro-region within Huehuetenango that consistently produces these exceptional, clean, and bright coffees.
PROCESSING AND QUALITY
Classic Washed & Heritage Varieties
This lot is a classic Washed coffee. The cherries are hand-picked, pulped, and then allowed to ferment in tanks (typically for 24-36 hours) to break down the sweet mucilage. After fermentation, the beans are fully washed with clean water to remove all remaining fruit, then carefully sun-dried on patios. This meticulous process is what creates the sparkling acidity and super-clean cup profile.
This lot is a blend of Caturra and Bourbon, the two most celebrated heritage varieties of Central America. Bourbon provides the backbone of sweetness, complexity, and body, while Caturra (a mutation of Bourbon) contributes the bright, zesty acidity and citrus notes. Together, they create a perfectly balanced, sweet, and vibrant cup.
Seasonality — Harvest (Guatemala)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
Typical harvest window in Huehuetenango: Nov – Apr (peak Jan–Mar). Export shipments often depart 3–4 months later.
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