Guatemala 2008: Atitlan Region: Nimac Kapeh

Nimac Kapeh is a Mayan term which simply means 'the place of coffee.' This coffee is part of our project of progressive sourcing in Guatemala.

Atitlan is a region that often goes overlooked simply because the Huehuetenangos and Antiguas are the name brand coffees from Guatemala. That seems to create a lot of questionable coffees as prices go to premiums for brands over actual quality being produced but that's a story for another day. Another part of it is the myriad of tiny producers in an area like Atitlan make it hard to identify single producers or find consistent products. The truth we are finding is that with a little help, the terroir exists throughout many areas of Guatemala to produce exceptional coffees. The simple fact that a place like Atitlan which is known for it's scenic and tourist views of the lake surrounded by a ring of volcanoes can also have the potential to produce good coffees is indeed refreshing.

When we traveled to Guatemala this year, the coffees we identified with most were the Atitlans, it was a good weather year this year there and the product from Atitlan had stronger, almost Yirgacheffe like, aromas. Soft rose and cherry blossom floral were descriptions we uttered more than a few times.

The problem was finding a clean coffee that fit our tastes.

This coffee struck us as a very balanced and fruit forward coffee with nice aromas in Guatemala. It was the best Atitlan we found on the trip.

This coffee was part of a large mill blend where farmers submit the farm lots which are so small you are unable to break the receipts down to a single farm but only down to a single day or stretch of days.

From that came this coffee which is a distinct expression of what a good classic Atitlan is. Tea like, floral, and a mellow soft red fruit acidity.

Dry Aroma(the grounds): Soft Cherry
Wet Aroma(brewing): Cherry Blossom
Hot Cup: Dark Oolong Tea, Ripe Cherry, Soft Red Fruit
Aftertaste: Brown Sugar
Cool Cup: Raspberry and Red Fruits

If I knew enough people had tasted Teaberry gum, I'd use teaberry to describe this coffee but you just have to trust me on that one.

This coffee took a long time to get to us but it was vacuum packed so it will be a lot better than if it had been shipped via jute. This was something that took a bit of luck to arrange but we were persistent in our requests and financial commitment to getting this done. These were the first coffees to come out of Guatemala to be vacuum packed, a major feat if you think about what that means going forward for us sourcing from Guatemala.

Roasts of this coffee are currently only on Wednesdays.
More notes to follow...

$14.95/12oz