Guatemala Huehuetenango Organic
GREETINGS FROM GUATEMALA
High in the mountains along the Pan-American Highway, where coffee readily grows, sits Huehuetenango—Place of the Ancients. It’s situated in northern Guatemala, near the ruins of Mayan centers, now archeological sites. From this municipality comes coffee beans full of regional character, influenced by the terroir and processing method. And so, our December limited release: organic, delicious, a real crowd pleaser.
ROASTING IN DECEMBER
In Guatemala Huehuetenango Organic, you’ll find complex flavors. It’s clean, juicy, and balanced. The fermentation of the washed processing method, nutrient-rich limestone soil, and lots of humidity and rain all combine to create this unique profile. As you may expect from Guatemalan coffees, chocolate is the star of the show. But it’s so much more than.
FLAVOR RUSH
In this single origin coffee, notes of semi-sweet chocolate wash over your senses, hitting that perfect spot between milk and dark for crowd-pleasing balance. Mingling with the chocolate are tantalizing notes of lemon twists and strawberry candy (you know the ones, those nostalgic hard candies that seemed to magically appear at every grandparent’s house). On the nose, a hint of sweet chamomile. Altogether, this coffee has broad appeal and great flavor.
HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW
Or at least gone soon. This coffee is only available during the month of December. And since it’s easy to drink, we recommend scooping up a pound or two while you can. Great to serve to guests and give to hosts (much like our Holiday Blend, but who doesn’t love a little variety?).
NOTES FROM THE PEET’S ROASTERY
When the beans first arrived at The Roastery, there was quite a bit of variation in the shape and color of the unroasted green beans. They were all around medium sized, but some were long, some round, some flat—we even found an elephant ear shaped bean. They ranged from pale olive green to a slightly darker bluish-green—others had silver or copper skin. The smell was sweet grassy with some plum like notes present.
The roast was easy to manage until it warmed up, then it wanted to move fast. First crack started very early, almost 10° earlier than expected, but it was sporadic until the batch temp reached approximately 400°. The pops built up normally after that and it gave a reliable cue to cut back on heat. Second crack was a little quieter—we heard it in the cooler but not in the roaster.
While roasting, we found aromatics that were very sweet and malt-like, with some dried fruit. This Guatemalan coffee was not hard to roast, we just had to watch out for its tendency to speed up more than expected when the machine warmed. We learned to watch for a few early pops near first crack, then listen for consensus like normal, and it was smooth sailing.
After roasting, we evaluated four profiles with six tasters, blind and randomized. As always, it was a tough decision since many of the profiles tasted great. However, one stood out as the unanimous favorite among all tasters: the fourth and final profile. This truly hit the mark—bright, sweet, and clean. We found it very herbaceous with a lovely malic acidity, complemented by flavors of stone fruit, pine, and dark chocolate. It had a full body with a lingering floral aroma added to its complexity. We’ve been brewing it on a Chemex the last two days and it’s tasting A+.
-John Nicolini and Michael Madden, Roasters; Jamie Smith, R&D
PEET’S LIMITED RELEASE COFFEES
You might think that a monthly coffee subscription sounds amazing in and of itself, but Peet’s coffee-of-the-month takes it a step further than most. Good things come in small packages, and we only get these coffees in small batches, which is why you can only find them at peets.com and only for a month at a time. They’re special. And while you don’t have to be a Small Batch Coffee subscriber to experience these amazing coffees, their fleeting nature means they can sell out—fast. So subscribing guarantees you get to taste each one of these incredibly special lots.