When I got back to Antigua, I showed the coordinates to my friend, Luis Pedro Zelaya, who at the time bought a small amount of coffee from select producers in Huehuetenango. Luis Pedro and I agreed that the potential must be very high in this area, and with Luis Pedro’s help we were able to source the first coffees from Ixban the following harvest.

San Jacinto is the name that a small group of producers from Ixban have given their coffees. Until 2014, these producers sold their coffee to various intermediaries in the Huehuetenango region, mostly resellers in the town of Huehuetenango. Luis Pedro now manages their coffee, with the help of Byron Benavente, who manages the small group of Huehuetenango producers. Byron and I spent lots of time together in Huehuetenango visiting Ixban and talked about the many challenges of growing coffee in Huehuetenango.

Up until 2016, nearly every producer in Huehuetenango was drying coffee using concrete patios and storing it in tiny warehouses that are exposed to the elements. This drying and storage method resulted in coffees from this area aging very quickly (i.e. they don’t taste good anymore), and in many cases, they lose nearly all their attributes within a few months post-harvest.

From 2016 to 2019, although their drying infrastructure didn’t really change, I worked with the producers to improve the end point of the drying, which is key to achieving good results. They also all use GrainPro bags to store coffee after it’s dried. For the past three harvests, we’ve seen awesome improvements in the quality and consistency.

When I cup coffees from this group of producers, I always cup the day lots from individual producers and then end up blending them to create the San Jacinto blend. This year, I was able to buy the entire harvest of perennial favourite “Alberto Ramirez” who affectionately names his coffee “Canoguitas”. Alberto’s coffee is 100% old growth bourbon and grows at nearly 1900m, amazing growing conditions for Huehue coffees!

- Sebastian