Casa Espresso: Guatemala, Ayarza Cherry Mill, Washed

We have a new coffee from the Ayarza cherry mill in Santa Rosa, southern Guatemala. The region of Ayarza is a special one, landmarked by the drastic landscape and cold blue water from the Laguna de Ayarza and Laguna Azul. The lake was formed by two massive volcanos that collapsed and formed a large crater. The legends surrounding this lake are numerous and the bottom has never been found.

This lot is one of 2 washed profiles produced at the Ayarza mill. The ‘classic’ washed utilises mechanical demucilaging without fermentation while the ‘vinoso’ employs a 14 hour fermentation which develops a subtle winey acidity (hence the name!)

Francisco Nájera is one of many local producers we work with at Ayarza cherry mill. Francisco was born in El Naranjo town in the Jutiapa department of Guatemala. He is 30 years old, married with two children and has been working in the coffee production business for around 15 years. Cultivating various small plots covering just under 1ha in total, Francisco is a small producer but a great entrepreneur, and has excelled in the coffee production business despite the adversity and constant threat of various coffee diseases. He also dedicates part of his time to developing coffee tree nursery services to sell saplings to other farmers in the region.