Guatemala accounts for 2.5 percent of the world’s total coffee production and has been a staple of Cafe Imports’ offerings since their humble beginnings. Their marathon cuppings in Guatemala are invigorating and exciting and produce some really excellent results, including their latest Regional Select, Guatemala Waykan.
The department of Quiche is located in the North Western side of the country and to the East of Huehuetenango. The producers are situated in the municipalities of Chajul, Quiche, Cotzal, and Nebaj and its ethinicities are: Ixil, Kiche, Q’anjobal, Guatemalan mestizo. Coffee is produced in 55 different communities. The coffee region in Quiche is located in a humid tropical forest and gets around 5,500 mm precipitation per year. They also harvest cardamom, corn, and beans.
In the Maya Q’qnjobal dialect from Huehuetenango,”Waykan” means “Star (or light) that shines in the sky at night.”
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Guatemala Waykan, from BeanFruit Coffee Company in Flowood, Mississippi. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS:
region: Quiche, Huehuetenango, Guatemala
farm: various
producer: smallholder farmers
association: N/A
elevation: 1100 – 1800 meters above sea level
cultivars: Typica, Caturra, Bourbon, Catuai, Paches
process: fully washed, patio dried
certifications: standard
CUPPINGNOTES:
The aroma of the Guatemala Waykan is really nice; sweet and fragrant, but subtly so. Floral aromatics introduce soft red fruits and citrus: rose hips and chamomile fluttering to the nose, followed by mellow scents of apple, cherry, and orange.
Taking my first few sips of the cup immediately post-brew, I’m struck by how bright and lively this coffee is; it had such a mellow, subdued aroma that I’m really surprised by the intensity of this tart ruby red grapefruit I’m tasting right out of the gate.
After a while—it’s been about ten minutes now—the grapefruit backs off quite a bit, and the flavor profile that this coffee’s aroma suggested is starting to take hold; I guess the coffee just needed some time to settle into itself (though that grapefruit note was stellar). Now that it’s cooled off a bit I’m getting the sugary sweetness of toffee, brown sugar, and nougat rolling over the palate, coupled with the silky elegance of rose petal.
As the cup cools even further, juicy fruit flavors once again take over the profile. Red delicious apple, black cherry, cranberry, and raisin flow over my taste buds before a rush of sweet clementine acidity washes it away.
Medium body; silky mouthfeel; citric acidity; clean finish.
FINALTHOUGHTS:
Cafe Imports’s Regional Selects program was designed to highlight some of the best of the unique profiles which are inherent to specific microregions within Colombia. Since the success of this program, they recently started branching out into other regions (like Guatemala).
I obviously don’t know what the other coffees they cupped in Guatemala were like, but I can report that the one they chose was dynamite. The fact that it made its way into the capable hands of roaster Paul Bonds made it even better.
BeanFruit Coffee Company’s Guatemala Waykan is an exceptional coffee that absolutely delights the taste buds. Clean, silky, balanced, dynamic, and tremendously flavored made this one a great cupping experience.
What were your thoughts of this one? Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome! Feel free to enter a comment below. Also remember to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
Andrew is a husband, father, dog lover, craft beverage enthusiast, content creator, and niche market Internet celebrity. Formerly of A Table in the Corner of the Cafe and The Pulitzer Project and contributor to Barista Magazine and Mental Floss, he’s been writing on the Internet for years.