Guatemalan Waykan a fully washed coffee from Huehuetenango via Café Imports.
Guatemalan Coffee History
Initially indigo and cochineal were the primary crop in Guatemalan. However chemical dyes signaled the beginning of the end for that industry and Guatemalans started planting coffee trees. By the mid 1800s, there were already over half a million coffee trees planted around the country. As a result of the government providing economic incentives production of coffee was encouraged.
Today, coffee continues to be the largest export crop in the country. Now coffee is grown all over Guatemala. In particular coffee is being grown in the regions of Antigua, Fraijanes, Cobán, Huehuetenango, Atitlan, San Marcos. However, today one of the biggest challenges for Guatemalan coffee, is and has always been around labour availability and cost.
Guatamalan Waykan coffee
As part of a Café Imports continuing mission to showcase coffees that taste “true to place”, while offering outstanding quality and providing a springboard for excellence. Café Imports’ Waykan offerings are selected to highlight the dynamic character and profile of coffees from Huehuetenango. In fact Huehuetenango is an area that is considered a “coffee economy”. Indeed local producers say that around 80% of the population makes its living either directly or indirectly from coffee.
Café Imports work closely with partners to create the Waykan lots. Here they running marathon cuppings, keeping meticulous record, and promise higher premiums for better quality. Producers who own farms of any size are invited to bring their coffee to be cupped. Whether they bring 2 or 200 bags, their coffee is sampled and scored. As long as coffee scores 85–87 and produces a clean and crisp Huehuetenango profile they are blended into the regional select lot.
In the Maya Q’qnjobal dialect from Huehuetenango,waykan means “star (or light)
that shines in the sky at night.” (And for the record, the region’s name is commonly
pronounced “way-way-teh-NAN-go.”)
About this coffee
We specifically were looking for a a more generally great coffee, that would compliment the rest of the components in the Vineyard blend. The Wyakan lots seemed to fit the bill. the coffee’s classic Huehuetenango flavours fitted the blend well.
Details of Guatemalan Waykan
| Region: | Chajul, Quiche, Cotzal, and Nebaj regions, Huehuetenango, Gautemala, | |||||||||||||
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| FARMERS: | Various smallholder farmers | |||||||||||||
| Harvest: | Jan-March (2018). | |||||||||||||
| Processing: | Fully washed and sun dried. | |||||||||||||
| Altitude: | 1,200 – 1,700 masl. | |||||||||||||
| Packaging: | GrainPro in hessian. | |||||||||||||
| Cultivars: | Arabica Typica, Caturra, Bourbon, Catuai, Paches | |||||||||||||
| Characteristics: | The coffee has smooth mouth feel, with juicy fruit and nuts. | |||||||||||||
| Roast used: | Intense flame to start, then a decreasing ramp rate, flame sustained into first crack, when flame it dropped to and coffee is dumped a minute after first crack. | |||||||||||||
| Our brews: |
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