Caffè GUATEMALA HUEHUETENANGO presidio Slow Food

Origin: San Pedro Necta

Producer: Asociación ASASAPNE

Variety: Arabica

Cultivar: Typica, Bourbon, Caturra

Altitude: 1500-2000 m above sea level

Processing: fully washed with fermentation

Drying: in the sun, for at least three days

Roasting: direct flame, temperatures between 110° and 150°

Flavors: Excellent aromatic intensity in both quality and quantity. The main aromas detected are caramel, candied orange and mandarin peel, vanilla, white chocolate, and cherry in syrup

Body: dense and liqueur-like, with excellent persistence

Acidity: well balanced in intensity and of excellent quality (very rounded)

Selection: Massimo Bonini

A project in partnership with the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, to promote a fine coffee while respecting the environment and its growers.

Guatemalan coffee – introduced by Jesuit fathers, with cultivation dating back to 1773 – is among the best in the world.

Huehuetenango, located at the foot of the Cuchumatanes, the highest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America, is one of the country’s most suitable areas for coffee growing. Warm air currents from the Isthmus of Tehuatepec meet the cold air blowing over the Cuchumatanes mountains, allowing coffee to be grown at altitudes of up to 1,900 meters. The best product comes from the highest elevations. The varieties are Coffea arabica Typica, Bourbon, and Caturra. Harvesting is done by hand, with cherries picked one by one and placed in wicker baskets tied at the waist. The beans are extracted from the cherries by hand through a delicate fermentation process (washed) that begins within four hours of harvesting and lasts 24–36 hours. After pulping, the beans dry in the sun for at least three days, continually turned with a rake.

Guatemalan coffee is considered one of the world’s finest coffees. Warm air currents from the Isthmus of Tehuatepec meet the cold air blowing over the Cuchumatanes mountains, allowing coffee to be grown at altitudes of up to 1,900 meters.

The Presidio, launched in 2002 and coordinated by the Foundation for Biodiversity, now involves 170 small producers who grow and process coffee according to production standards that guarantee its sensory, environmental, and social quality. The growers have organized to improve quality by focusing on training and promoting the local area. The “Presidio Slow Food” coffee label project was created to bridge the communication and knowledge gap between producers and consumers, while including a key figure in the supply chain: roasters. This is a cultural and social project that aims to foster a new awareness around coffee, with the ultimate goal of shortening the supply chain and improving the quality of life of Presidio producers. The second phase of the work also included roasters – and therefore the finished product – making it possible to reach consumers and more effectively promote a new coffee culture.

The fabulous flavor of Huehuetenango coffee comes from a combination of several factors: altitude, soil, exposure, and the particular cultivation method, in the shade of tall trees, which helps preserve and distinguish its sensory qualities.