Guatemala El Sendero

Guatemalan coffee is known for its rich, sweet flavors and chocolatey undertones. This coffee is no exception, and is a favourite with our guests here at Ief&Ido. We acquired the coffee though our direct trade partner Primavera coffee, an excellent middleman committed to the sustainable production of coffeee. They are well established in the Huehuetenago region, and through their agronomy program they have developed a strong partnership with the farmers there by combining their exptertise with local knowledge and practices. Huehuetenango is known for beans with an intense but pleasant acidity, a full chocolately and nutty body in addition to delightful wine-like, floral and fruity notes. 

The indigenous population in the area has been cultivating their food in traditional ways for thousands of years. Traditional agricultural techniques include using manure from their sheep as organic fertilizer, rotating land to give the soil time to recover, and harvesting collectively. By planting various crops on the steep slopes, they can make optimal use of the altitude differences.

Due to the remote location of many farmers in this area, most of them process their coffee themselves. They selectively pick only the red coffee cherries and depulp them using small, usually hand-powered, depulpers. The beans are then fermented for 24 hours in a water tank to remove the remaining layer of pulp and are then rinsed clean. All the water used during depulping and washing is filtered through earthen pits to prevent organic solids from contaminating local waterways. After washing, the coffee is laid out to dry on stackable beds or large patios. In a central location in the city of Huehuetenango, the coffees are gathered to rest and then packed into coffee bags for export.

Region: Huehuetenango

Variety: Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra

Processing method: Washed

Growing altitude: 1500 – 1900 meters

Direct trade by Primavera coffee