Welcome to another edition of Field Notes! This month, we’re highlighting our upcoming shipments from Guatemala. Also inside: an update from Costa Rica, new arrivals available now, and where to find us at World of Coffee San Diego!
Coffee drying on a patio in Antigua
ASPROGUATE members demonstrating techniques for making organic fertilizer
Ripe coffee cherries in San Martin Jilotepeque
Guatemala Coming Soon!
We’ve been spending quite a bit of time in Guatemala over the past month visiting with our producer and exporter partners and tasting some of the new coffees we’ll have coming in over the next few months. We are happy to work with great partners in Guatemala to source a variety of great coffees, and in this month’s newsletter we want to highlight some of the smallholder-produced regional lots that are available now for forward booking.
La Flor del Café Antigua
This coffee comes from producers in the area around the historic city of Antigua and is prepared exclusively for La Minita to our specifications. We’ve been sourcing coffee from this region for many years, and it always impresses with its heavy body, lively acidity, and notes of cocoa, caramel, and citrus.
San Martín Jilotepeque Organic
Grown by members of the organic-certified farmers’ association ASPROGUATE around the town of San Martín Jilotepeque, this is an excellent and versatile regional offering. ASPROGUATE is dedicated to supporting gender equality, with 55% of its producer members being women. This coffee has a syrupy, sweet profile with notes of cherry and dried red fruit.
Candelaria Huehuetenango Organic
The remote Huehuetenango department is known for its high elevation and unique microclimates, which lead to coffees with a complex, juicy profile. This coffee, grown by the 450 members of the Special Coffee Producers Association of Huehuetenango (ASOPCE), is a great example. You can expect a citric acidity and notes of orange, plum, and milk chocolate.
All of these coffees are available now for forward booking. If you’re interested or would like more information, contact your salesperson or reach out to us via the form on our website. We’d love to hear from you!
This Month in Costa Rica
With the harvest completed, our team in Costa Rica turns their focus toward two main objectives: completing the milling and exporting of this year’s coffee and preparing our farms to produce a good crop for next year.
At our farms, this is a crucial period. The flowering signals the beginning of the growing season, and we must work to ensure the plants have what they need to produce healthy fruit. Meanwhile, there are still lot renovations to complete, new seedlings to plant, and as always, plenty of weeding to be done.
On the export side, we are milling, bagging, and shipping coffee from the new crop daily. The first shipments have already arrived in the U.S., and we have many more to come over the next few months. We’re thankful for your support this year and are excited to share these coffees with you!
Flowering at La Minita
available now
COSTA RICA, LA SONRISA
La Sonrisa comes from small farmers around our farm Hacienda Rio Negro in the Coto Brus region. The cup profile is unique among Costa Rican coffees, with a lower acidity, notes of cocoa and toasted nuts, and a lingering sweet finish.
Availability: Annex CA
Certifications: N/A
Cupping notes: Cocoa, hazelnut, almond
COSTA RICA, EL INDIO
Grown by small producers around the town of San Marcos and processed at our mill Beneficio Río Tarrazú, this regional offering is a balanced and versatile coffee that suits a variety of uses.
Availability: CTI NJ
Certifications: N/A
Cupping notes: Citrus, sweet, milk chocolate
FIND US AT WORLD OF COFFEE!
La Minita will be exhibiting at the upcoming World of Coffee event in San Diego, April 10-12. Our team be on the show floor all weekend at booth #2935 and we’ll have plenty of coffee to share. We look forward to seeing you there!
That’s all for this month’s edition. Thanks for reading, and as always, if there’s anything we can do for you, reach out to your salesperson or fill out our contact form and we’ll get right back to you. See you next month!