El Mirador – Guatemala

ORIGIN
The production of coffee has been a mainstay of Guatemala’s economy for over a hundred years. Today, more than 125,000 producers grow coffee; which still remains one of Guatemala’s principal export products, accounting for 40% of all agricultural export revenue. The country’s coffee growing regions enjoy high altitudes, good rainfall all-year-round in regions that benefit from mineral-rich soils.

Huehuetenango (often called ‘Huehue’) is located in the west of Guatemala and is still hard to reach by road due to its rugged landscape and high elevations. But the altitude of this region, combined with the hot dry winds that blow over from Mexico’s Tehuantepec Plain, create excellent conditions for coffee cultivation.

PRODUCER

Finca El Mirador is located in one of the most remote areas in Huehuetenango. The Lopez family have been growing coffee in this area for approximately 38 years. Back when they started cultivating coffee, there were no roads around this region and they had to transport the coffee on horses and mules for 3 days to get it to the nearest town in order to sell it. At the beginning, they did not give the coffee the care and attention it now receives. It was seen as a crop, and with the passage of time, it became a passion for the new generation. In the 1990’s Huehuetenango started to become a region of interest to specialty coffee buyers for the high acidity and complex cup profile. In 1999, Finca El Mirador won a price for their quality, it was this event that motivated them to strive for better agricultural practices and wet milling techniques. With better pruning, fertilization, shade management, they continue learning and implementing.

To this day, they continue to be pioneers in the region, known for taking extra care both in the fields and post-harvest processing. They have also been experimenting with semi-washed, honey and natural processes. Due to the close relationship Falcon has with this family and the potential they see in this region, they have helped to modernized the wet mill, building new drying patios and constructing raised beds for further processing experiments

ROAST
Sourced through our friends at Primavera Coffee, we love this washed Bourbon for its sweetness and complexity of aroma in the cup. Roasted for espresso, this coffee has a wonderfully rich body with a balanced acidity and coating praline-like mouthfeel. There is a floral, almost perfumed quality to the aromatics that reminds us of Turkish delight! Although this coffee is lovingly developed in the roast for espresso, it is a very versatile coffee that can be and be enjoyed across a range of brew methods.