Traceability Project

Guatemala

Washed Maragogype Huehuetenango (7812)

Region: Huehuetenango

Municipality: La Democracia

Producer: Group of 350 producers

Altitude: 1,200-1,750 m asl

Cultivation: shade grown

Varietal:

Soil: Loamy soil rich in organic matter

Harvesting period: November - May

Process: Washed - 18-26h fermentation

Drying method: sundried

Packaging: 30 kg grainpro

Hand-picked coffee, carefully separated by variety. The coffee is depulped at peak ripeness and fermetned in piles of 18-26 hours. It is then washed using traditional methods aided by agitation with spring water. Finally, it is sun-dried on patios; the coffee layer is kept thick enough to maintain a low temperature, and the beans are constantly turned to ensure even drying.

Espresso

Good body with a light, bright acidity. Milk chocolate leads, fruity in character, with peach, apricot and forest berries coming through. Sweet, honeyed finish.

Cupping

Medium body, with a vibrant acidity. The fragrance opens with dried fruit, honey, apricot and chocolate. On the palate, flavour of peach and apricot take the lead, melting into a warm, honeyed finish.

Washed Process

The harvested coffee cherries are first selected, either mechanically or in water tanks, to remove unripe cherries and other foreign matter. They are then processed with depulpers to remove the skin (exocarp) and pulp (outer mesocarp).

With a portion of the mucilage (inner mesocarp) left on the parchment (endocarp), the coffee beans are fermented in water tanks for around 14 to 36 hours. During this time, the microorganisms in the beans help break down the mucilage with their enzymes.

The beans are then washed with fresh water and laid to dry on either cement patios or raised beds, or in some cases placed in mechanical dryers. They are turned regularly to avoid unwanted mold and further fermentation, and when the beans reach around 11% humidity they are stored in parchment (endocarp), before being milled and bagged.

Huehuetenango

Huehuetenango was once characterized by the dominance of large farms with at least 150 hectares dedicated to coffee production. However, conditions in recent years have forced large landowners to sell to small producers, who have worked in coffee all their lives and continue with traditional production methods, on smaller, more manageable areas.

These plots enjoy the kind of climate coffee dreams about. Warm tropical mornings give way to cool mountain evenings, allowing each coffee cherry to mature slowly and deliberately. Frequent mists driff across the hillsides, while generous summer rains nourish the trees through flowering and fruit development. Bright sunshine, tempered by mountain breezes and shade trees, creates the perfect balance between growth and rest. This rythm of sun, rain, and cool nights helps develop dense beans with vibrant acidity, complex sweetness, and the distinctive character that Huehuetenango coffees are celebrated for.