Guatemala Coban - Chichupak Co-op

Nice sweetness and depth, yellow peach, nectarine, apricot

TOP LOT

Bag Weight	69 KG BAG
Harvest Season	2021/22
Status	Spot
Lot Number	P608511-3

Carteret, NJ: Out of Stock Bag(s)

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About This Coffee

Cobán, also known as the Imperial City, is located 211 kilometers north of Guatemala in the department of Alta Verapaz. It stands out for its climatic diversity due to the variety of altitudes in the region, from 120 to 1,800 meters above sea level. This generates microclimates ideal for the cultivation of great coffee. The land in the region is very fertile and farmers grow not only coffee but cardamom, achiote, cacao, pepper, citrus, avocado, tomato, cauliflower, and lettuce, corn, beans, hot peppers, and cereals such as rice. Across the department there are 27,461 hectares of coffee farms from which approximately 364,427 quintals of parchment are produced per year. The different microclimates favor the production of diverse varieties. At high altitudes they grow Bourbon, Maragogype, Caturra, Pache and Catuaí. Different types of Catimor: Anacafe 90, Costa Rica 95, Sarchimor are grown at slightly lower altitudes. Cobán coffee stands out worldwide for its fruity notes, fine and well-balanced body, with a pleasant aroma.

Country of Origin	Guatemala
Harvest Season	2021/22
Coffee Grade	GTM CA WA SHB FANCY
Bag Type	Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species	Arabica
Processing	Washed
Variety	Bourbon, Caturra, Pache

Region	Coban
Farm Name	Rabinal Coop Chichupac

History of Guatemalan Coffee

Although coffee was brought over from the Caribbean in the mid-18th century by Jesuit priests, it was used primarily as an ornamental plant and garden crop for 100 years in Guatemala. Coffee wasn’t widely traded, however, until commercial production began in the 1850s. The volcanic soil and various micro-climates proved ideal for growing coffee in Guatemala. Coffee, within a generation, became the country’s most important crop. In 1860, Guatemala exported 140,000 pounds of coffee, and just 25 years later, the country was exporting over 40 million pounds. Large numbers of coffee farmers were German immigrants responsible for many inventions and innovations related to coffee milling. Most of Guatemala’s coffee was exported to Germany until the First World War, when exports shifted to the United States.

Growing Coffee in Guatemala

Coffee farming practices are similar to other countries in the region, but Guatemala has an abundance of water, volcanic soil, and very distinct micro-climates compared to its neighbors. Although late to coffee, Guatemala recognized and responded to the needs of the emerging specialty coffee sector earlier than most coffee-producing regions. Anacafé, the coffee producers association in Guatemala, identifies seven growing regions: Fraijanes, the plateau south of Guatemala City; Coban, a rainforest region in the center of the country; Huehuetenango, highlands near the border with Mexico; Atitlan, primarily the volcanic mountains on the Pacific side of Lake Atitlan; San Marcos, between Huehuetenango and the Pacific Ocean; Oriente, the driest of the growing regions located near the eastern border with Honduras; and the most famous of all, Antigua, nestled among the volcanoes an hour’s drive southwest of Guatemala City.