Description
This organic lot comes from smallholder coffee producers organized into certified cooperatives in the Fraijanes region of Guatemala. Rather than a single estate, it gathers the work of communities where coffee has been grown for generations on small plots that average around 3 acres. By organizing into cooperatives, these producers overcome the challenges of rugged, isolated coffee zones and gain technical assistance to manage their farms with strong organic practices.
The cooperatives provide centralized warehouses where dried parchment is stored before it travels along rough roads to Guatemala City, where it is prepared for export. Much of the organic management happens right on the farm: producers use materials like coffee pulp to make their own fertilizer, which cuts transport costs and helps ensure better yields and quality. Each producer processes their harvest at their own micro-mill, with careful cherry selection, depulping, fermentation and sun drying.
Grown between 1300 and 1700 masl on clay-mineral soils, the lot blends traditional and modern varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, Sarchimor and Anacafe 14, the last of these developed by Guatemala’s national coffee association and released in 2014, valued for its solid yield and quality above 1300 masl. The harvest runs from December through March. The coffee is fully washed and dried in the sun.
Org = Organically Grown
SHB = Strictly Hard Bean, grown over 4000 ft.
EP = European Prep, a washed processed premium offering
Tasting Notes: A clean, sweet and balanced cup, right in line with a good old high-grown Guatemalan. The base profile leans towards a more malty profile with hints of nuttiness and soft fruit, a bit chocolaty if you push the roast darker. Lighter roasts open up the acidity: brighter and juicier with a sweeter edge. Medium roasts settle and round out the acidity, the body gains weight, and the chocolate factor moves to the front, lingers a bit nutty in the aftertaste. Dark roasts drop most of the acidity, the body turns heavier, and chocolate and spice take over, with a more caramelized sweetness and a roasty finish that stops short of turning harsh.
Roasting Notes: An even, easy-to-roast bean. Being a high-grown washed it is dense, so it helps to charge with plenty of heat. Chaff is moderate and development is uniform. First crack arrives clean and well marked; for light, pull just after first crack to keep the citric acidity and white peach. For medium, let development run a bit between the end of first crack and before second crack, where you get the best balance of sweetness and body. For dark, ease into the start of second crack, without overshooting, so the caramel sweetness stays intact. We like it best at the light to medium range, where the origin shows off. Rest the beans 12 to 24 hours after roasting before grinding.
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