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Guatemala - Seleccion Coban

Cherry juice, plum, orange, blackberry
TOP LOT
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Bag Weight 69 KG BAG
Harvest Season 2023/24
Status Spot
Lot Number P612492-1
  • 105 Bag(s)
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About This Coffee

The reality of coffee production in Coban is that it is complex. There is a constant drizzle much like Seattle which is locally called “chipi-chipi”. This makes patio drying in the region impossible. This rain fall also means small holders would need mechanical driers to process their coffee. Hence the small holders often sell their coffee at cherry or even wet parchment. There are a few cherry mills in Alta Verapaz that received most of this cherry and wet parchment from the producers.

The chipi-chipi rain plus the path the coffee takes to market make it taste different. The cups are nothing like any other coffee in Guatemala. The big beans with a sweet herbaceous note remind us of coffee not typically grown here in Guatemala. The resulting cup we call internally the Indonesia of Guatemala.

Country of Origin Guatemala
Region Alta Verapaz
Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
Farm Name Various producers
Processing Washed
Processing Description Sun-dried on patios
Growing Altitude 1200m - 1600m
Harvest Season 2023/24
Bag Weight 69 KG BAG
Bag Type Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species Arabica
Variety Catuai, Caturra, Sarchimor
Screen Size 15 Up

History of Coffee in Guatemala

Although coffee was brought over from the Caribbean in the mid-18th century by Jesuit priests, it was used primarily as an ornamental plant and garden crop for 100 years in Guatemala. Coffee wasn’t widely traded, however, until commercial production began in the 1850s. The volcanic soil and various micro-climates proved ideal for growing coffee in Guatemala. Coffee, within a generation, became the country’s most important crop. In 1860, Guatemala exported 140,000 pounds of coffee, and just 25 years later, the country was exporting over 40 million pounds. Large numbers of coffee farmers were German immigrants responsible for many inventions and innovations related to coffee milling. Most of Guatemala’s coffee was exported to Germany until the First World War, when exports shifted to the United States.

Growing Coffee in Guatemala

Coffee farming practices are similar to other countries in the region, but Guatemala has an abundance of water, volcanic soil, and very distinct micro-climates compared to its neighbors. Although late to coffee, Guatemala recognized and responded to the needs of the emerging specialty coffee sector earlier than most coffee-producing regions. Anacafé, the coffee producers association in Guatemala, identifies seven growing regions: Fraijanes, the plateau south of Guatemala City; Coban, a rainforest region in the center of the country; Huehuetenango, highlands near the border with Mexico; Atitlan, primarily the volcanic mountains on the Pacific side of Lake Atitlan; San Marcos, between Huehuetenango and the Pacific Ocean; Oriente, the driest of the growing regions located near the eastern border with Honduras; and the most famous of all, Antigua, nestled among the volcanoes an hour’s drive southwest of Guatemala City.

  • Region Alta Verapaz
  • Farm Name Various producers
  • Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
  • Processing Washed
  • Processing Description Sun-dried on patios
  • Bag Type Grain Pro / Ecotact
  • Plant Species Arabica
  • Variety Catuai, Caturra, Sarchimor
  • Min Growing Altitude 1200m
  • Max Growing Altitude 1600m
  • Screen Size 15 Up
  • On Sale No
  • Top Lot Yes
  • Status Spot
  • Coffee Grade GTM CA WA SHB
  • CTRM Contract Number P612492-1
  • Country of Origin Guatemala
  • Warehouse Dupuy Houston