Guatemala
Huehuetenango, Finca El Injerto, Lot No. 09

    Guatemala is the source of some of Central America’s finest coffees.  The country has numerous geographically isolated regions that each produce coffee of singularly distinct character.  Huehuetenango is one of them, in the Cuchumatanes Mountains of the northwestern highlands.  This rugged and remote area is affectionately called “Huehue” (pronounced HWAY-hway), and it features some of the highest non-volcanic peaks in the Central America.
    Modern farming began in this region in the nineteenth century.  El Injerto (“the grafting”) is owned by Arturo Escobar, the third generation of his family to work the land.  Coffee was first planted on the Finca in 1900.  Today several different arabica varieties are grown beneath shade trees.  The Escobars utilize organic farming techniques that employ nitrogen-fixing plants to displace weeds and earthworms to create their own fertilizer.  No pesticides or herbicides are used at El Injerto.  The coffee is harvested from January through April.  It is washed and milled on the property, using hydroelectric power from their own generating plant.
    El Injerto coffees have won numerous awards, including the Grand Cru de Café, in Paris in 2003.  They have scored highly in recent years in the Cup of Excellence competition as well as the Guatemalan Exceptional Cup contest.  They finally took first place in the Cup of Excellence in 2006.

Personal Appraisal:  The current lot elicits an immediate impression of class and quality.  The cup has good body, balanced by supple acidity and great depth of flavor.  I noted a prominent sweetness, as well as spicy toffee and chocolate tones.  It’s a coffee that I keep coming back to, with anticipation and pleasure.