Huehuetenango is one of the most remote provinces in Guatemala, located in the country's northwest on the border with Mexico. Thanks to the dry, hot winds that blow into the mountains from the Tehuantepec plain in Mexico, the region is protected from frost, allowing coffee to be cultivated up to 6,500 feet (2000 meters), and making it one of the highest and driest of Guatemala's specialty coffee origins. The terrain is particularly rugged. The Cuchumatanes mountain range, a spur of the Sierra Madre's, slices its way east to west across the province, and travel is challenging. The region has limestone soil with good drainage and is high in organic matter.
The area around Old Palmira and New Palmira is comprised of very small and remote farms. Huehuetenango’s extreme remoteness requires that virtually every producer, large or small, individual or farm, process his own coffee. Fortunately, the region has an almost infinite number of rivers and streams, so a mill can be located almost anywhere. This SHB Palmira is primarily comprised of output from area small growers who all do their own wet milling. Processing their coffee by hand, they rely on manual depulpers and dry the coffee on patios if they have them or on raised beds.
The dominant varietals are Bourbon and Caturra, with smaller amounts of Catuai. Harvest is January through April. Coffee is grown amidst chalum trees for shade.
Cup Characteristics: Very bright, zesty acidity but also offers a very smoothly textured bittersweet chocolate mouthfeel.
Roasting Notes: Strictly Hard Bean (SHB), high grown coffees are durable and can be roasted to light or dark. Lighter roasts will be characterized by pronounce acidity and delicate wine notes. The acidity is sufficient to withstand darker roasting, meaning the coffee, when dark, will not be flat tasting and will remain vibrant as a stand-alone or blend component.
Quantity in Basket: none
Guatemala coffee facts:
Population (2006): 12.3 Million People Coffee Production: 3.93 Million bags (60 kg)Country bag capacity: 150 poundsDomestic Consumption: 1.7 Million bags per yearCoffee Export: 3.8 Million BagsCultivated Area: 250,000 Hectares
Harvest: September to April
Arabica Introduced:Coffee introduced by the Jesuits in the late 18th century and the coffee industry later developed by German immigrants in the mid 19th century.
Farms: Approximately 65,000
Specialty Coffee Regions: Antigua, Coban, Atitlan, Huehuetenango, Fraijanes, San Marcos
Botanical Varietals:Arabigo, Bourbon, Typica, Catura, Catuai, Catimur, Maragogype, RobustaArabigo, Bourbon, Typica, Catura, Catuai, Catimur, Maragogype, Robusta
Comments
This relatively small country produces some of the world's top coffees and offers a variety of coffee experiences. Each region has distinct taste profiles, each of which is enhanced, as always, by the care and attention brought by the farm in growing methodology.
There are more than 60,000 small coffee farms in Guatemala with over 30% of the population engaged in the coffee industry.