About This Coffee
Producer Jose Gabriel del Cid Batres cultivates coffee on his farm, Finca Santa Isabel Buena Vista in Fraijanes, Guatemala.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
After selective hand harvest, cherry is pulped and dry fermented for 4 to 8 hours, depending on ambient temperature. Then, parchment is washed in clean water and laid to dry in the sun on a patio. It takes approximately 8 to 10 days for parchment to dry.
Dry parchment is then bagged and rests on the farm for approximately 15 days before being transported to the Quetzal dry mill in Palín Escuintla. Parchment rests at the warehouse for at least 30 days before being prepared and exported.
SHG
Strictly High Grown (SHG) specifies the altitude at which the coffee was grown. A coffee must be grown at 1,200 meters above sea level or higher to be considered SHG. The higher altitude and lower temperatures mean that the coffee fruit matures more slowly, creating a denser bean.
European Preparation (EP)
EP stands for European Preparation. EP beans are Screen 15+ with a low defect tolerance.
Coffee in Guatemala
Guatemala boasts a variety of growing regions and conditions that produce spectacular coffees. Today, the country is revered as a producer of some of the most flavorful and nuanced cups worldwide. We are proud to work with several exceptional in-country partners to bring these coffees to market.
The Guatemalan coffee industry experienced a major setback with the 2010 appearance of Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) in Latin America. The epidemic peaked in severity in 2012, and though CLR continues to affect some farms, Guatemala continues to produce high-quality, record-breaking coffees. In 2017, new and varied processing methods pushed prices at the Guatemalan Cup of Excellence contest to record highs.
The quality of coffee being produced in Guatemala is increasing, overall, due to the diversity of the industry’s producers. There are more and more small holder farmers producing exceptional coffee at high altitudes. Cooperatives are becoming more appealing to so many smallholders because they often offer farmers financing and other support for improving their farming and processing and are frequently able to offer higher prices for cherry than middlemen. Many cooperatives have initiated quality improvement training for farmer members and are becoming more adept at helping members market their coffee as specialty.