Guatemala Union Cantinil (green)

Country: Guatemala

Region: Huehuetenango

Sub-region: Union Cantinil

Altitude: Average 1700 meters

Type: Washed

Variety: Caturra, Catuai & Bourbon

Harvest: December-April

In the cup: Big body of mild tropical fruits, chocolate, almond & brown sugar with a clean finish.

This is a beautiful washed coffee from the Union Cantinil municipality located in the Huehuetenango department of Guatemala. There are a number of small producers, with farms averaging 1.5 hectares in size, that contribute to this lot. Huehuetenango Highlands cross the Cardillera de Los Cuchamatanes with regions higher than 3600 meters. The region is located very close to the border of Mexico. Average rainfall is around 1,800 mm with a relative humidity of 70-80%.

This is one of the highest coffee regions under cultivation in Guatemala, as well as the driest. It is also by far the most rugged area in Guatemala, with coffee cultivated in broken and very steep terrain. 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 2000meters. The average temperature is 23 C, the subtropical and humid climate contributes to the coffee beans’ beautiful appearance and uniform maturation.

In Huehuetanango the flowering is homogeneous and harvesting usually takes place form January to April. Huehuetenango’s extreme remoteness requires that virtually every producer, large of small, individual or farm, process their own coffee. Fortunately the region has an almost infinite number of rivers and streams, so a mill can be located virtually anywhere.

A Fully Washed processing method is when ripe cherry is picked, immature green cherry is either hand sorted or mechanically removed and over-ripe cherry is separated in floatation tanks. Only prime red cherry is sent to pulpers. Pulped parchment is then fermented for 24-72 hours in either a dry or wet fermentation process. Afterwards the the clean, washed parchment is sent for drying.