Hola Guate!

Published 27 June 2023

It’s been another exciting week at MCM HQ, with all three of our Guatemalan shipments recently landing! The coffees are tasting fresh and vibrant, & will soon begin making their way out to roasters around Australia. For those with reserves, give us a call or shoot us an email to book your delivery!

We currently have a handful of exceptional spot lots ready to order. Check out our offer list below for the full line up, and read on for an overview and suggestions for use of our available offerings:

Espresso Picks

Whether presented as a stand alone coffee or as part of a blend, we think the following coffees will shine as an espresso offering:

Calahute | Huehuetenango

Grown by Alfonso Anzueto on the steep hills of Huehuetenango, this coffee is creamy and high in sweetness, with notes of milk chocolate and stewed apple. Calahute is a reliable workhorse that provides a rich texture to an espresso blend. It presents sweet caramel and roast hazelnut when paired with milk.

La Soledad | Antigua Guatemala

Owned by Lucia Zelaya and managed by husband Rony Asensio, La Soledad is a beautiful estate that produces an elegant and refined coffee, thanks to Rony’s meticulous farming and processing practices. When roasted as espresso, this year’s crop has a buttery body and notes of golden sultana and honey that pair particularly well with milk!

El Sendero Lot 1 | Huehuetenango

We are thrilled to be offering a lot from the El Sendero Cooperative for the first time! The three farmers who contributed to this lot grow coffee using traditional techniques and organic practices, in one of Huehue’s most prodigious micro-regions. A rounded and balanced offering, this coffee presents milk chocolate and currants in the cup when roasted for espresso applications.

Filter Picks

Nothing beats the convenience of a batchy first thing in the morning, or the delicate aromas and textures of a carefully brewed pour over. Here are our picks for stunning filter offerings:

Santa Clara Natural | Antigua Guatemala

Fourth generation farmer Ricardo Zelaya is a progressive farmer who has been perfecting his processing techniques over the fifteen years we have been working with him. His naturals are some of our favourite examples of the process out of Guatemala, and this year’s crop is no different! With a winey acidity and notes of concord grape and ripe strawberry, this lot stands out across all filter brewing methods.

Santa Isabel Estate | Alta Verapaz

Owned and managed by our good friend Wicho Valdes, Santa Isabel is a stunning farm nestled in the hills of Cobán, Alta Verapaz. Year on year, it produces coffees that are distinctly floral and tropical, that consistently stand out on the cupping table. This coffee’s complex flavour profile and bright acidity make it the perfect candidate for both manual pour over and batch!

Santa Clara Gesha Natural | Antigua Guatemala

After tasting the Gesha variety in 2008, and being blown away by its complex cup profile, Ricardo Zelaya decided to plant some on the highest parts of his farm, to incredible results. He has only recently started processing some of the crop as a natural lot, to highlights the variety’s intense sweetness and creamy texture. Thanks to its notes of grilled peach and black tea, this showcase coffee shines when brewed manually.

Santa Clara Panama Gesha | Antigua Guatemala

Realising Santa Clara Estate’s highest plots of land were perfectly suited to the Gesha variety, Ricardo decided to source & plant seeds from Panama’s Finca La Esmeralda , which are considered one of the best examples of the variety grown anywhere in the world. This is only the second year he’s produced this intensely floral & delicate lot, whose notes of white peach, sugarcane and elderflower are best enjoyed when brewed by hand.