Guatemala - Seleccion Baja Verapaz

Grapefruit, dark chocolate, caramel
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Bag Weight 69 KG BAG
Harvest Season 2024/25
Status Spot
Lot Number P612642-1
  • 96 Bag(s)
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About This Coffee

Baja Verapaz stands as the dividing line between the Guatemalan rainforest that starts in Alta Verapaz and continues north to Peten. Coffee is new to the region. Historically the region produced staples like corn, beans, and tomatoes. Farmers here can sell cherries to trucks that take the coffee to bigger cherry mills, or process their cherries themselves to sell as dry parchment. Baja Verapaz is blessed with wonderful drying conditions, so many farmers do process  coffee on their own, to add more value.

Baja Verapaz has a bit of everything. Geographically it is centrally located, close to the coffee regions of Antigua, Alta Verapaz and Quiche. The expectation might be for coffees produced here to be similar to one of those regions, but something about the terroir of Baja Verapaz makes it special. The land is generally quite dry, and the varieties are a mix of Sachimor and other varieties common to Guatemala. Whether terroir or variety or process, the cup results in a phosphoric acidity which shines like few other coffees from Guatemala.

Country of Origin Guatemala
Region Cubulco, Baja Verapaz
Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
Farm Name Various producers
Processing Washed
Processing Description Sun-dried on patios
Growing Altitude 1300m - 1800m
Harvest Season 2024/25
Bag Weight 69 KG BAG
Bag Type Grain Pro / Ecotact
Plant Species Arabica
Variety Catuai, Sarchimor

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.

  • Region Cubulco, Baja Verapaz
  • Farm Name Various producers
  • Producer Type Small Holder Farmers
  • Processing Washed
  • Processing Description Sun-dried on patios
  • Bag Type Grain Pro / Ecotact
  • Plant Species Arabica
  • Variety Catuai, Sarchimor
  • Min Growing Altitude 1300m
  • Max Growing Altitude 1800m
  • On Sale No
  • Top Lot No
  • Status Spot
  • Coffee Grade GTM CA WA SHB
  • CTRM Contract Number P612642-1
  • Country of Origin Guatemala
  • Warehouse Dupuy Houston