As I noted in my previous review, I recently paid a visit to a new (-ish) roaster in Chicago who’s been making some noise in the market since I moved away from the city a few years ago. I really enjoyed the Peru La Capilla Yonke I had while in the shop, so I decided to purchase a bag to take home with me.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re cupping the Guatemala Las Huehuetecas, from Groundswell Coffee Roasters in Chicago, Illinois. Feel free to pull up a chair.
The Guatemala Las Huehuetecas hails from Guatemala’s most celebrated region – Huehuetenango. The coffee is comprised of four lots that are managed by female producers, pulled together by Genuine Origin and International Women’s Coffee Alliance.* The lots are: Finca El Rio, Finca Julieta, Tx’otx’el Melaj, and Finca del Sara López de Castillo.**
THEDETAILS
region: Huehuetenango, Guatemala
farm: Finca El Rio // Finca Julieta // Tx’otx’el Melaj // Finca del Sara López de Castillo
producer: smallholder farmers
association: N/A
elevation: 1200 – 1600 meters above sea level
varietal: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai
process: fully washed, patio dried
CUPPINGNOTES
The Guatemala Las Huehuetecas has a bright, sweet, vibrant aroma that leaps out of the bag as soon as I rip open the packaging. Bright berries and melon lead the way, with caramel mingled in.
Diving into the cup, I find a medium-bodied coffee with a supple, buoyant mouthfeel. Before I get into my tasting notes I have to preface my review by saying that when I was at the shop chatting about the coffee with my dear friend Alice (store manager), I chuckled at the product label noting “hard candy” as a tasting note. It’s a vague note. I mean… What kind of hard candy are we talking about here: a Werther’s Original or a Jolly Rancher? Well, both, as it turns out in the case of this cup. While the cup leads with the subdued sweetness of caramel and vanilla, it quickly livens with juicy watermelon, grape, and strawberry jam—particularly as it gets closer to room temperature.
*content courtesy of Groundswell Coffee Roasters
**NOTE: I reached out to Genuine Origin for further details regarding this coffee’s background and did not receive a response. If I receive one in the future, I will update.
What were your thoughts of this one? Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome! Feel free to enter a comment below.
UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL PRODUCTS REVIEWED ARE UNSOLICITED SUBMISSIONS FROM THE PRODUCT MANUFACTURER.
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.