Guatemala San Pedro Necta

From the stunning Highlands of Guatemala's remote Huehuetenango region, this delicate and sweet offering has been produced by 204 smallholders. Many of the producers are part of the Mayan 'Mam' indigenous community which have their own language, dress and deep rooted traditions. We were honored to have been able to visit the community of San Pedro Necta earlier this year and thrilled to be bringing their amazing coffee back to Scotland.

Each farmer is responsible for their own processing, rather than bringing coffee cherries to a central wet mill. This is often a very simple process with a small electric or manual de-pulper that is operated like an old meat grinder with a crank handle. All of the coffees produces by these farmers are washed with the town and surrounds dotted with small drying patios were the coffee is spread out and regularly turned in the sun to dry.

These processing techniques are simple and labour intensive, but the combined efforts of the cooperative members yield impressive results. The 201 farmers who make up the San Pedro de Necta cooperative collaborate every harvest to send as many as 25 trucks loaded with some 200 (69 kilo) bags of coffee down to FEDECOCAGUA ’s enormous dry mill in Guatemala City for export.

Read about Jamie's travels to the San Pedro Necta Cooperative in Huehuetenango.

Many people cite Guatemala as their favourite coffee origin, and for good reason: coffees from here tend to be balanced and sweet but with lots of complexity, and the diverse regions from volcanoes to plateaus to rainforests provide a huge variety in growing conditions and terroir.

Guatemala is one of the world’s most renowned coffee-producing nations, and enjoys nigh-on perfect growing conditions across most of the country. Since its introduction in the mid-18th century, coffee has become a massively important part of Guatemala’s economy and culture.

With support from the national coffee association, Anacafé, Guatemala's coffee industry has grown to become the world's tenth largest producer, generating around 40 percent of the country's agricultural export revenue and supporting almost half a million families.

Speciality coffee is grown across eight distinct regions in Guatemala, designated by Anacafé as those producing Strictly Hard Bean (high altitude) coffee, and can be divided into five volcanic and three non-volcanic regions. Huehuetenango, one of our favourite coffee producing areas (which means 'Place of the Ancients') is the highest of the non-volcanic regions, located in the west of the country along the Mexican border and dominated by the Cuchumatanes Mountains.

Here, hot air sweeps across from the Plains of Tehuantepec in Mexico, and mixes with cooler mountainous air, creating a frost-proof microclimate that allows coffee to be cultivated up to 2,000 metres. Coffee from Huehuetenango (pronounced way-way-teh-nahn-go) is much sought-after and often places highly in Guatemala's Cup of Excellence competition.

Chemex Brewing Recipe

What you’ll need:

• A Chemex brewer
• Correct size Chemex filters
• Ground coffee (medium-coarse)
• Scale
• Timer
• Hot water just off the boil (or between 93 - 96°C)

For this recipe, we’ll be using an 8-cup Chemex and the 1:16 ratio of 30g coffee and 480g water, but as always you should adjust to your preference. While a regular kitchen kettle will work, we recommend a gooseneck pouring kettle for added precision.

Method:

1. Boil your kettle. While it’s heating up, place the Chemex on the scale and add the filter. For the 8-cup Chemex, you’ll have a square filter folded to make four sheets; place it in the Chemex so that three sheets line up against the spout and one sheet faces away, forming an inverted cone shape.
2. Rinse the filter—this will pre-heat the Chemex and also help the filter stick to the glass sides. Discard the water.
3. Tare the scale and add 30g of coffee. Give the Chemex a gentle tap to level the grounds. Tare the scale again.
4. Start the timer and pour 30g of water onto the grounds, aiming to saturate all the coffee. Wait 30 seconds.
5. After 30 seconds begin pouring in 50g increments, up to 480g. This should take until 3:00, at which point give the Chemex a little swirl to flatten the bed and ensure even extraction. Let the water fully drip through the coffee, then discard the filter and grounds. Pour and enjoy!

Notes:

• There are several Chemex brewers of varying sizes available, each with specific filters. It’s important to buy the correct filters for your particular Chemex, as some won’t work with the wrong size.

Don't have a Chemex? Check out our other brewing guides on our journal page, 'How To Brew Coffee at Home.'

Our speciality coffees are 100% traceable and ethically sourced. We work direct with farmers, or through trusted partners, to bring you the best coffee from around the world.

Sourced in partnership with: Caribbean Goods
Producer relationship length: Since 2023

Caribbean Goods is dedicated to sourcing high-quality Guatemalan coffee through ethical, transparent trade. By building direct relationships with farmers, they ensure fair pay, sustainability, and exceptional coffee for roasters in the UK.