Huehuetenango Limited Release

Flavor Notes: Apple Crumble, Roasted Marshmallow, Tobacco 

Coffee Story:

Gilberto and Gabino, along with their nephew Francisco Mendez, work an entire mountainside side of a mountain in remote Northwest Huehuetenango. While working in coffee alongside family members is not rare in Guatemala, the depth of collaboration and transparency with which they partner is remarkable. Year after year, they share successes and misses, working together to make each other's lots thrive. They operate like a co-op, each member making their contributions.

Of the three, Gabino is focused most on quality improvements, so he travels to Guatemala City to take courses at Anacafe, learning about innovations in varieties and processing. Recently, he implemented his learning by lengthening the washing channels on their central wet mill to improve processing, and this year's crop showcases brighter, crisper profiles as a result. Another example is shade: Gabino utilizes mostly Chalum shade, as Gravilea trees make the soil more acidic. Chalum leaves biodegrade four times faster than Gravilea leaves, and he and his sons are monitoring the longer-term soil impacts as a result. Francisco Florencio supports his uncles with the water from his ground springs, and Gilberto makes structural improvements around the farm. Gabino's sons have also studied soil science, and support with soil analysis and fertilizer on each lot. The result is that each lot improves significantly and all family members benefit.

This harvest, the Mendez family and Onyx Green Coffee worked to carefully blend lots based on cupping, analysis, keeping each member's lots separated to showcase their work. Gilberto's Coyegual and Manantiales lots deliver lively, fruity charisma with chocolate depth.

Origin: Guatemala 

Farm/Producer: Gilberto Mendez
Region: Huehuetenango
Elevation: 1100-1650 masl
Variety: Bourbon, Caturra
Processing Method: Washed

We're offering a 10oz option for this specialty coffee because this particular roast is exceptionally rare and limited.