Guatemala Swiss Water Decaf

Bordering Mexico to the west and Huehuetenango to the north, San Marcos is remote— it can take 8-12 hours to reach coffee farms from Guatemala City, up and down mountain roads. It’s not only the warmest growing region in Guatemala, it’s also often the rainiest — seasonal rains come early and often, creating earlier blossoms. Along with climate conditions rich volcanic soils make for a distinct profile: San Marcos coffees often present with characteristic acidity, with consistent and well-defined body.

Around 2009, an association in San Marcos called ASOBEP was reported to Anacafe for mismanagement. Subsequently a few members assembled to found Entre Rios, with the mission to support farmer members with excellent management and increased transparency.

At first Entre Rios had 18 members, but that quickly grew to 25 and then 33 member families. The association is represented by Cipriano, a genial and hardworking producer who also works hard to represent the other families of Entre Rios, in addition to being on the board of Anacafe.

Entre Rios produces a total of 1060 quintales parchment annually. Coffees are dried on patios for 7-10 days, and fermented in tanks for 24-36 hours. Individual smallholder farms grow primarily Bourbon, but also a mix of sustainable varieties encouraged by Anacafe, which produce very well in this climate: Anacafe 14, Sarchimor, and Catimor. Lots are shaded by avocado, banana, Chalum and Tepemiste trees.

This coffee was finally decaffeinated at Swiss Water in Canada, using a chemical-free process to remove 99.9% of the caffeine content. 

In the cup, we taste notes of almond, chocolate, caramel, and orange.