Our coffee from the Ixil region of Guatemala

GET TO KNOW GUATEMALA COFFEE AND THE PERFECT CLIMATE OF YOUR COUNTRY

Today we want to talk about Guatemala, the country of 300 microclimates, to bring you closer to a very special coffee from one of its most remote areas: El Quitché, located in the northern mountain range of the country, between the coffee-growing areas of Huehuetarango and Cobán.

It is a non-volcanic region, although extremely rich in nutrients and with a privileged microclimate for growing coffee. In these closed valleys, coffee is grown at an altitude between 1,200 and 1,500 m. We will also introduce you to the Ixil people, an indigenous ethnic group of Mayan origin that still preserves its identity and culture precisely due to the inaccessibility of this territory. 

GUATEMALA COFFEE: HISTORY AND CURIOSITIES OF THE MAIN COFFEE PRODUCER IN CENTRAL AMERICA

Guatemala is the main producer of coffee in Central America and is among the ten largest producers in the world. The coffee trade represents 2.5% of its GDP. The tasks of cultivation of this last product employ 125 thousand people, 97% of them small coffee growers responsible for 47% of the national production. It has a great international reputation for the quality of its Arabica coffees, and is known for being a country with multiple microclimates, without having its own profile since its coffees vary greatly depending on the growing area.

Coffee was introduced to Guatemala in the mid-eighteenth century, when Jesuit priests brought coffee plants to use as decoration in the gardens of the convent in the city of Antigua. Its development in the country was slow. In fact, coffee was used as a medicine rather than a drink. At the end of the 19th century, it already represented the most important crop in the country and enjoyed a great international reputation for the excellence of its cup.

GET TO KNOW THE IXIL REGION: ITS ORIGINS AND REASONS FOR PLANTING COFFEE

The Ixil Region, also called "the Ixil triangle" as a result of the strong indigenous resistance that this area had during the Guatemalan civil war (1960-1996), is a very mountainous area with closed valleys that are difficult to access. This natural barrier serves as protection for the Ixil people, which is an indigenous tribe of Mayan origin that maintains its own language and ancient culture.

Most are small farmers and the women are weavers. It is a community with a high level of poverty and very low schooling. Their diet is based on products derived from corn, such as pancakes. They grow it alongside coffee, which is one of their main sources of money.

Much is being invested in the training and optimization of coffee harvests, with the consequent increase in the quality and price of coffee. However, much remains to be done, especially in terms of infrastructure and improvement of the standard of living. We want to show our respect and pay homage to this town, which despite the great difficulties it faces, is capable of offering us a sensorially exquisite coffee.

COFFEE TASTING NOTES MADE IN GUATEMALA:

They tend to be velvety in body and medium in acidity. Some of them are picked by hand, thus ensuring that only cherries are selected at their optimum point of ripeness.

The coffee produced in this area tends to be an Arabica coffee of the Bourbon, Caturra and Catimor varieties. The cherries are selected and the cherries are pulped in the "swimming pools" of the farms, and later they are dried in the patios in the sun at low temperatures and with a lot of ventilation.

With Cafés Caracas you can try other coffees from South America. And so appreciate the different varieties, flavors and aromas.