Finca El Injertal is a family owned and operated estate located near the small town of La Democracia in the mountains of Huehuetenango, in the northwest region of Guatemala. Founded by Jose Olivio Chavez in the 1930’s, the farm has been producing high quality coffees for three generations and is operated today by Jose Olivio’s grandson, Jose Alejandro.
The 205 acre farm has 173 acres in coffee productionwhile the remaining 32 acres are kept as a forest preserve where native species of trees provide refuge for wildlife in the area. The farm contains several natural springs that provide an adequate wate supply during the dry season and are used as a source of energy to run the coffee processing mill.
Certified by the Rainforest Alliance, the coffee plantation is completedly coverd with shade trees, a source of abundant organic matter and an aid in soil erosion control, an important consideration due to the steep hillsides in this area. All of these circumstances—rich soil, adequate water, and high altitude—result in a unique miroclimate well suited for the production of high quality coffee. The quality of El Injertal’s coffee was first recognized in the first Guatemala Cup of Excellence Auction of Guatemalan coffees and is still recognized today as a farm of distinction.
Welcome to my Table, here in the corner of this cafe. Today we’re sipping the Guatemala Finca El Injertal, from Tugboat Coffee in Addison, Illinois. Feel free to pull up a chair.
THEDETAILS
region: Huehuetenango, Guatemala
farm: Finca El Injertal
producer: Jose Alejandro
association: N/A
elevation: 1490 – 2000 meters above sea level
cultivar: Caturra, Mondo Novo
process: fully washed, patio dried
CUPPINGNOTES
The aroma of this Guatemala Finca El Injertal is straightforward, but pleasant. It’s sweet, with
It doesn’t take long, after ripping open this bag of Guatemala Finca El Injertal, for its intense aroma to fill my home brewing space. Massive scents of cocoa powder, lemon, and roasted nuts explode out into my nostrils.
Taking my first few sips of this cup immediately post-brew, my palate is greeted by an aggressive coffee that shades toward the heavier side of a medium-bodied coffee. Just these few sips in, I can already surmise that this coffee would be really tasty and complex if not for the level of roast put on it. As was indicative by its aroma, this coffee has three flavor highlights: chocolate milk, hazelnut, and zesty lemon rind.
FINALTHOUGHTS
Did this review seem familiar to you…? Were you having déjà vu reading it…? There’s an explanation for that. Nearly two years ago I reviewed this same coffee, roasted by the same company. It wasn’t a very positive review; you can read the full thing yourself, but the basic gist of it was “this is a good coffee, but roaster manipulation concealed all of its best attributes.” Erik—the founder of Tugboat and man operating that roaster—recently informed me that he took that review as a challenge to improve, revisited this coffee, and sent it to me for review a second time.
I’m glad he reminded me of that old review because I would have never guessed that the coffee I cupped today was the same coffee I cupped two years ago—it was a much better experience this time around.
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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.