A good harvest and high coffee prices bode well for Guatemalan farmers.
Tom and I (Dan) just returned from a trip to GuatemalaGuatemalan coffee is considered a top quality coffee producer in Central America. Due to our proximity to Guatemala, some of the nicest coffees from this origin come to... ...more where we visited with farmers and exporters, and cupped samples from the current harvest. This year’s crop was much bigger than 2024/25, with competitive prices in key regions for us, like Huehuetenango and Antigua. It’s meant very good prices for farmers, but also affected availability by triggering sell-offs early in the season.
In Huehuetenango for example, large buyers set the tone at the start of the harvest offering a very high price for almost any coffee that could be picked. All of the sudden, farmers were faced with incredible cash premiums for their coffee before it was even ripe. “Less work for more money” is a difficult proposition to contend with, and you can hardly blame folks for cashing out early.
Thankfully, this initial rush didn’t have much of an impact on our volumes. The coffee we buy is from higher altitude areas, and ripens later than lowland farms. It has, however, supported a strong local market since there’s less coffee overall, and many farmers did quite well this year as a result.
We’re seeing very good quality in Huehuetenango this year, and excited to return to many of the longtime buying relationships we’ve formed through our Proyecto Xinabajul, as well as a few new ones. We’ve put together a nice mix of lots, both single farm, and regional blends. We also tasted some amazing Pacamara’s from a small group of producers in Malacatancito, and San Pedro Necta, something to keep an eye out for in a couple of months when they arrive.
This year’s trip was just 4 days, but we managed to pack a lot in! Tom’s photo set documents visits to farms and mills in La Libertad, cuppingCupping is a method of tasting coffee by steeping grounds in separate cups for discrete amounts of ground coffee, to reveal good flavors and defects to their fullest.... ...more Xinabajul offers in Huehue town, and a quick trip to Antigua for even more cup testing of samples from estates like Cabrejo, Pavon, and Pulcal. When it was all said and done, we tasted more than 200 coffees, resulting in three full 20′ shipping containers and counting. Time well spent!
Our Guatemala Photo Travelogue
9 Responses
Just returned from Antigua. Enjoyed my 2 coffee farm tours. In your opinion do any of these beans lend themselves to dark roasting?
It’s such a beautiful city! The coffee is typically quite dense, and great candidates for dark roasting.
-Dan
Sounds like a wonderful trip. I wish I could tag along with both of you for the adventure (flavor, meeting farmers I very much appreciate, and learning). Looking forward to the Pacamaras mentioned. What did they taste like? Pacamaras can have unpredictable but usually pleasant flavor notes.
Question from my coffee wish list: Is anybody growing Chili Bourbon out there? I’ve never had the chance to try, but would like to. How bout Sidra, Eugenoides, or any other unusual stuff?
Any ideas of price ranges we’re looking at later this year from Guatemala?
Thanks for all yall do.
Hey Tony, it was a productive trip, that’s for sure!
The washed Pacamara was very clean and sweet, with faint herbal aspects that came off a bit floral in the cup. The natural had heavier fruit, but the herbeceaus characteristic still came through. Both had very nice acidity too. We’re looking forward to getting a better look at them once they arrive.
I’ve not seen the varieties you mention in areas of Guatemala we buy from, but it doesn’t mean they’re not out there. For the “exotic” varieties, you see a lot of Gesha, Java, and Pacamara. Sidra seems to me more prevalent in Colombia, which is where we’ve picked it up in previous years.
Prices have softened a bit in some parts, but others not so much (like Antigua). THe local market has been very strong, staving off downward pressure from C market levels. That said, just getting the relief from tariffs will have a positive impact in final prices.
-Dan
Can we expect to see Antigua La Melanie this year? I don’t recall seeing it last year. Also I was wondering if you cupped any nice Laurina lots? What a year for coffee it has been!
Hey Todd, hoping we’ll see some in our final round of offers. No Laurina. There’s a producer we work with in Colombia who grows a little, but hasn’t had much in the way of exportable volumes.
-D
Quite interesting. Was hoping for a return of last year’s “ Xinabajul Sandra Hidalgo”. Is this one going to be stocked at some point?
Yes there was Sandra Hidalgo farm lots approved in this years shipment!
Super!