Day 9. El Penon Lot 2 Natural - Guatemala

This Guatemala El Peñon Lot 2 Natural coffee is sourced from Finca El Peñón, located in Aldea Chichinabaj, La Democracia, and owned by Ivan Federico Ovalle Altuve. Grown at elevations between 1450 and 2050 meters above sea level, it comprises Bourbon, Caturra, and Pache varieties. With a grade of SHB EP, this coffee is processed using the Natural method and boasts an impressive cupping score of 82, featuring tasting notes of dried fruit, stone fruit, fig, and dark chocolate.

Guatemala is recognized for its diverse growing regions and conditions that yield exceptional coffees. The country is known for producing some of the most flavourful and nuanced cups in the world.

However, the Guatemalan coffee industry faced a significant challenge with the arrival of Coffee Leaf Rust (CLR) in Latin America in 2010. The epidemic peaked in severity in 2012, and while CLR still impacts some farms, Guatemala continues to produce high-quality, record-breaking coffees. In 2017, innovative processing methods led to record prices at the Guatemalan Cup of Excellence contest.

Overall, the quality of Guatemalan coffee is on the rise, thanks to the diverse producers in the industry. An increasing number of smallholder farmers are cultivating exceptional coffee at high altitudes. Cooperatives are becoming increasingly attractive to smallholders, as they often provide financing and support for improving farming and processing, and can frequently offer higher prices for cherries than middlemen. Many cooperatives have also initiated quality improvement training for their members, enhancing their ability to market their coffee as specialty.

Owner Ivan Ovalle is dedicated to producing high-quality, environmentally-friendly coffees at his farm, Finca El Peñón, located in La Democracia, Huehuetenango. With an engineering degree, Ovalle has applied his expertise to enhance water efficiency on the farm and to ensure that workers pick only the ripest cherries with the highest sugar content.

The farm spans 75 hectares, with 15 hectares set aside for forest reserves, while the remaining 60 hectares are planted with Caturra, Pache, and Bourbon varieties.

Harvest & Post-Harvest Ovalle places great emphasis on training workers to pick only ripe, red cherries at the perfect moment. He utilizes Brix degree analyses (sugar content) to identify the optimal harvesting time. Workers handpick cherries selectively based on their training.

Finca El Peñón is committed to minimizing the environmental impact of coffee cultivation. Ovalle focuses on reducing water usage year after year and collaborates with various certification programs to enhance the farm's environmental and social practices.

After selective handpicking, cherries are meticulously sorted to select the best and ripest ones through visual inspection and flotation. Cherries meeting Ovalle's high standards are then spread out on patios to dry under direct sunlight. This exposure accelerates the dehydration of the parchment and mucilage. Quickly removing excess moisture and frequently turning the drying parchment helps prevent defects such as phenol and mold.

Cherries are turned regularly, especially during the first three to four days. During this period, workers inspect the cherries, removing any damaged ones to ensure that only the highest quality reaches the next stages. Cherries that pass inspection are then moved to a greenhouse covered with plastic sheeting, where they will dry on raised beds for an additional 13 to 15 days. In total, the drying process takes approximately 18 to 20 days.

Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) The term Strictly Hard Bean (SHB) indicates the altitude at which the coffee was cultivated. To be classified as SHB, coffee must be grown at elevations of 1,200 meters above sea level or higher. The higher altitude and cooler temperatures slow the maturation of the coffee fruit, resulting in denser beans.