Finca Nueva Armenia, Huehuetenango, Guatemala, Pound

The Coffee... The Recinos family are in their seventh decade of farming heirloom Bourbon Rojo and Typica coffee varieties.  The plants are fed by pure natural springs and protected from the Guatemalan sun by dense, indigenous forest.  The result is sweet, balanced, and clean, with notes of nut, fruit, and caramel.

The Farm... Tucked into a valley between two mountains, the farmhouse sits on a parcel of fairly flat land, near a beautiful stream and rolling pastures. Behind the ranch house, however, is the coffee farm, which soars nearly straight up towards the peak of the mountain. The effect is of a gigantic amphitheater, soaring above the valley floor below. This geography is great for coffee quality, since higher altitudes almost always mean better coffee.

The Region... Huehuetenango is in the far northwest of Guatemala on the border with Chiapas in Mexico.  It takes 10 hours to get there from Guatemala City.  It is very mountainous with arid and hot valleys and towering peaks.  Indigenous culture is still very strong in this part of the Guatemalan altiplano.