Alfonso Anzueto - Single Origin - GUATEMALA

Anzueto family are the owner of Calahute farm, who purchased the farm in the 1950s. Today, it is managed by third-generation coffee producer Alfonso Anzueto, who inherited the farm from his father.

Calahute (which translates to “Free Deer”) is located in Huehuetenango, a stunning region located in the west of Guatemala near the border of Mexico. To reach the estate, a steep road ascends the side of El Tapón Mountain in Huehuetenango and eventually rises to the town of San Pedro Necta. The verdant hills surrounding the town centre are home to many independent farmers, who grow coffee as their primary source of income.

The estate is relatively large for this region (most of the producers in San Pedro Necta have very small farms), with 210 hectares dedicated to coffee. A number of different varieties are grown on the estate, including Bourbon, Catuai, Caturra, Pacamara, Tekisik and Typica.

The farm sits at an elevation of 1,300–1,500m above sea level, with an average temperature of 18–25°C, and an annual rainfall of 1,300–1,800mm. The coffee grows under the shade of Ingas and Grevillea trees which protect the coffee trees from the sun and provide valuable organic material, keeping the soil moist and well-nourished.

HOW THIS COFFEE WAS PROCESSED

Harvest time at Calahute beings in December and concludes at the end of April. Around 120 people from the surrounding villages are employed during this time, which helps sustain the local economy. These seasonal workers are trained in best-picking techniques and select only the perfectly ripe cherries. All operations at the farm are overseen by Alfonso and his manager Victor Martinez, who has worked with the Anzueto family for many years.

This coffee was processed using the washed method at the family’s wet mill, which is located on the farm. At the end of the day, each of the workers delivers their carefully selected coffees to the mill, where they are hand-sorted before being weighed, pulped and fermented for 24–36 hours. The beans are then washed, graded by weight in long channels, and carefully dried on patios for 7 -12 days.

ABOUT HUEHUETENANGO

Huehuetenango (or HueHue as it is often called) is a stunning region located in the west of Guatemala near the border of Mexico. HueHue is known for its vast ethnic diversity and Cuchumatanes mountain range, the highest non-volcanic mountain range in all of Central America. It is also home to some of the most complex and celebrated coffees in the country, which frequently appear in the top ten of the Cup of Excellence competition. This is in part due to the incredibly high elevations that coffee is able to grow at (up to 2,000m above sea level), thanks to the dry, hot winds that blow into the mountains from Mexico’s Tehuantepec plain and protect the region from frost. These high elevations combined with a relatively predictable climate make for exceptional quality coffee, like this very special lot from Calahute.

ORIGIN: Guatemala

REGION: Huehuetenango

VARIETY: Bourbon - Caturra

PROCESS: Washed

ALTITUDE: 1,500 MASL

SUGGESTED METHODS: Plunger, Pour over, Aeropress, Cold Brew