Guatemala Blue Ayarza Natural

Strawberry, grape jelly, cherry, chocolate brownie

TOP LOT

Bag Weight	69 KG BAG
Harvest Season	2022/23
Status	Spot
Lot Number	P610762-1

Houston, TX: Out of Stock Bag(s)

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About This Coffee

The region of Ayarza is a special one, landmarked by the drastic landscape and cold blue water from the Laguna de Ayarza and Laguna Azul. The lake was formed by two massive volcanos that collapsed and formed a large crater. The legends surrounding this lake are numerous, like the one that says the bottom has never been found, or the large white rock that resembles a petrified woman who didn’t follow the orders of Jesus.

Covoya Guatemala always knew the region had massive potential to produce specialty coffee, which led us to start renting a wet mill on an RFA certified farm. The quality coming from our washed coffee was much better than we expected, so we naturally started producing honey and maceration processes as well.

For this Blue Ayarza Natural coffee, farmers deliver the best cherries from the region to our mill, often in their very own pickup trucks. These cherries are then sent to Amatitilan to dry on the patio for 10 days, and are finished off in a mechanical drier for 5-10 more hours.

Country of Origin	Guatemala
Region	Santa Rosa
Producer Type	Small Holder Farmers
Processing	Natural/Dry Processed
Growing Altitude	1400m - 2000m

Harvest Season	2022/23
Bag Weight	69 KG BAG
Bag Type	Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species	Arabica
Variety	Bourbon, Catuai, Pache, Anacafe 14, San Ramon

History of Coffee in Guatemala

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.