Coffee category: Balanced
Process: Washed & Sun Dried
What to expect: A returning coffee of previous years which was a favourite for those who enjoy a smooth tasting, balanced coffee. Expect lots of sweet chocolate notes with hints of almond and cherry and a buttery finish.
Producer: Mendez Family
Region: San Pedro Necta, Huehuetenango
Altitude: 1,500 - 1,700m above sea level
Varietals: Caturra, Bourbon
The Hermanas Mendez lot is a testament to the power of collaboration and determination. These sisters started with very little, and through perseverance and sharing resources, they created something truly special.
While cultivating coffee alongside family members is not rare in Guatemala, the depth of collaboration and transparency with which the entire Mendez family partners is remarkable. Brothers Gabino and Gilberto, their sisters Juana, Minga Leticia, and Victorina, and their nephew Francisco Florencio, work together along a remote mountainside. Year after year, they share successes and failures, working together to make each other's lots thrive. The family operates like a cooperative, each member making their contributions.Don Gabino, having been a school teacher previous to his coffee career, takes a careful and educated approach to cultivation. Of the siblings, Gabino is focused most on quality improvements, so he travels to Guatemala City to take courses at Anacafe, learning about innovations in varieties and processing. Recently, he lengthened the washing channels on their central wet mill and implemented processing improvements. Another example is shade: Gabino utilizes mostly Chalum shade, as Gravilea trees make the soil more acidic. Chalum leaves biodegrade four times faster than Gravilea leaves, and he and his sons are monitoring the longer-term soil impacts under different shade types. Francisco Florencio and Minga Leticia both support the family with water distribution from ground springs on their lots. Gilberto uses his years of construction experience to make structural improvements around the farm. Gabino's sons studied soil science, and support with soil analysis and fertilizer balance on each lot, fertilizer which the family buys cooperatively. Each family member benefits from the communal approach.
Each harvest, the Mendez family carefully blend lots based on quality, keeping individual family member's lots separated by name to showcase their work. The exception this year was the sister's lots, since the three nano-lots together totaled only 19 bags export. Hermanas Mendez is exemplary of Huehuetenango terroir at its most excellent: layered from hot to cold, with deep dark chocolate depth, a buttery body, and a profile reminiscent of forest berries, plum, and vanilla wafer.
Fermentation time: 24-36 hours fermentation after de-pulping
Drying type: Concrete Patio Drying
Drying time: 11-14 days
