Guatemala Huehuetenango Xinabajul Producers

Flavor components of minimally refined sugars, roasted almond, apple, pungent dark cocoa roast tones, and molasses finishing note. Acidity has an apple-like quality.

Region: Huehuetenango Highlands
Farm: Xinabajul Producers
Variety: Bourbon, Caturra, Typica
Altitude: 1800–2000 masl
Processing: Washed

Xinabajul is the name of the original Huehuetenango town, and this coffee comes from small-holder farmers in the greater department of Huehue. Specifically, this small lot is a blend of small producers in the different areas where our buying is focused, San Pedra Necta, Peña Blanca and Cuilco name a few. The small coffee producers in these areas had few options when selling their coffee locally; they could take it to the large mills down at lower elevations and get paid the going rate, or they could sell it to "coyotes" who drive the dirt roads in their trucks paying cash for coffee. Neither offered any extra price for quality, even though the coffees were grown higher and tended with greater care than the big farms down at lower elevations. We partnered with local coffee people to offer higher prices if the farmers could meet our quality expectations in the cup, and this lot is a testament to that success. Given that the localities where we are buying coffee are little more than extended family groups, we have found if we involve a brother or sister, they will tell all their coffee-farming kin and soon we have a network of farmers interested in our project. We wrote an in-depth and detailed description of the project a few years back that you can read more about here: Guatemala: Proyecto Xinabajul.

Description from Coffee Shrub.