Kilimbi inoculated washed

Our latest Guatemalan goodness is a welcome return from Francisco Morales and his farm La Esperanza, the first farm we visited on our trip back in 2024 with importer Primavera. La Esperanza is perched at 1700m high up in the famous Huehuetenango (abbrev. huehue) region and the views from the drying patios of the surrounding mountains were quite something. Francisco and his wife have been the proud owners of La Esperanza farm in Cipresales for over 40 years over which time they have achieved a great deal. As like many other producers, the initial years of starting their farm activities were very challenging ones. But thanks to the hard work, dedication and commitment of the family, the farm has grown into a business that provides income for the household and generates a source of employment for many others in the surrounding area. The name of the farm, which in English translates into “The Hope”, explains well how important coffee production is for them. Francisco is the type of person that never feels done learning new things. His eagerness to hear experiences from others, and try out new things at the farm, wet mill or drying area. His curiosity and interest for improving coffee quality resulted in winning several prizes the Huehuetenango Highland competitions. Francisco’s son Desvin is in charge of the processing of his lots. Lots are depulped the same day as harvest and dry fermented around 24 hours (but this can vary based on the ambient temperature each day). The coffee is then dried on the cement patio. Roast profile: We've roasted this coffee in our 'omni' profile. A little more development of body and sweetness than a pure filter profile which means this coffee suits brewing with any method ie. filter or espresso.

Our first Mexican beauty from the Sierra Sur region where we visited back in March this year is from Carlos Hernandez and a naturally processed Pluma Hidalgo variety. Naturals (dried in the skin) are risky in Mexico because of the humidity, but when they're good, they're very good. Carlos is a member of Union San Pedro located in Barrio San Antonio in San Pedro El Alto. 2025 was his first year producing naturals alongside his regular washed coffees (that contribute to the Union San Pedro Blend). The first year was certainly a trial or proof of concept phase and as the coffees cupped very well Carlos began to expand his naturals and also experimenting with honeys this year. For this natural process, cherry is rested for three nights in the skin and then dried on patios, Petates (mats) and even at times inside the house depending on the weather, for an average drying time of 20 days. Raw Material and Red Beetle Coffee Lab have focused their work in the Oaxaca and Chiapas regions and been working with smallholder producers contributing to regional 'blends' as well as separating some special coffees for micro-lots including this natural from Carlos Hernandez. It was a privilege to cup these fresh crop coffees at the Red Beetle HQ and a few the the many lots we tasted have made their way to the UK spread amongst the roasters that attended the trip. We were lucky in securing this lot from Carlos and it's our first release from that trip. Production yields have become dangerously low and over the last ten years coffee leaf rust disease and the lack of financial or agricultural means to tackle it has reduced production by up to 90% in some regions. The average yield in Oaxaca is now just 100kg of parchment per hectare. For context, in Colombia, the average yield is 2,400kg per hectare. The vast majority of Mexico’s 500,000 coffee producers are smallholder farmers and have one hectare or less of land under coffee. This makes the average annual production for many producers just 100kg, making coffee farming more and more unsustainable. This is fuelling widespread migration to urban centres in Mexico and the United States. In short, coffee production is disappearing.

Our second Guatemalan release of the season comes from Eddy Macdonald Lopez Lopez and his farm La Gardenia situated high in the mountains of the famous Huehuetenango region (Huehue). At the heart of the farm’s operations is the focus on preservation of the pristine natural environment. Eddy seeks to maintain a diversity of tree, animal and bird species, as well as ensuring that there is no contamination of nearby sources of spring water from coffee production. Quetzals, the famously beautiful and rare Guatemalan national bird, has even been spotted on the farm. La Gardenia has sought various environmental certifications such as Rainforest Alliance to verify its mission to conserve the delicate ecosystems of Huehuetenango. In addition to sustainability, coffee quality is a key priority for Eddy and his family. The farm works with exotic varieties and different processes in order to showcase the unique potential of the region’s coffee. By carefully monitoring every stage of the process, Finca Gardenia is able to produce outstanding quality coffees. This lot is something new to us, a naturally processed Marsellesa variety and it forms part of the Arcoiris range from importer Primavera: "Every year, we taste a few coffees that are really wild: fruity, sweet, and unabashedly unique. Sometimes these are washed lots, other times they can be honeys or naturals. Sometimes they are the result of an extra-long fermentation before being washed, or the result of fermenting honeys in a sack before depulping, and each one has a different story." Huehuetenango is located in the west of Guatemala, on the border with Mexico, and trade across the border thrives. Huehuetenango was the ancient center of the Mam people, and their capital Zaculeu is preserved in the city; Popti speakers can also be found here. After defeating the Mam at Zaculeu, Spanish invaders forced many indigenous people to work in mines and on plantations in this region. Huehue is very remote and the roads in the region can be difficult; before flights from the city, reaching farms in this area used to take 8-10 hours of bumpy driving in the high mountains. But the altitude of this region, combined with the hot dry winds that blow over from Mexico’s Tehuantepec Plain, create excellent conditions for quality coffee here. Because of the altitudes and remoteness of the region, most farmers process their coffee at home rather than at a central wet mill. We were very fortunate to visit some of Primavera's producer partners in Guatemala in 2024 including Huehue. Witnessing their in-country operations first-hand including collection stations (bodegas) and the dry-mill demonstrated their commitment to quality and support of the farmers they work with.

Yes folks, it's time for the return of this washed beauty from our trip to the home of coffee back in January last year with Atrie from Coffee Legends to the Daye Bensa operation. Rumudamo is the jewel in the Daye Bensa crown and coffees from this washing station in the Arbegona area within Sidamo have placed highly in CoE competitions in previous years (2nd and 3rd spots in 2020)! Arbegona is one of the 30 district in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Sidama Zone, Arbegona is bordered on the south by Bona Zuria, on the southwest by Bursa, on the northwest by Gorche, on the north by the Oromia Region, and on the east by Bensa. The major town in Arbegona is Arbegona. Just like it's naturally processed sibling that we have available too, this coffee comes from small plots in the highland area of Arbegona in a specific village called Rumudamo, which benefits from the very high altitudes up to 2300 MASL. Coffee is the main cash crop in this area, though many other crops grow here such as sugar cane, false banana, spices and vegetables. Cherries are sorted based on density and quality by floating them in large water tanks. After flotation, the ripe cherries are pulped and transferred to fermentation tanks for 72 hrs before being taken to the raised beds with mesh nets for 9-10 days drying.