LCC Roastery

Caramel sweetness and dark chocolate flavor accents lead to notes of caramel flan and butterscotch custard, slight hints of currant and raisin 

Xinabajul (pronounced She-nah-bah-hool), is the ancient Mayan name for the Huehuetenango region in Guatemala, one of the best coffee origin in Central America. Among the 8 officially profiled growing regions in Guatemala, Huehuetenango is still my favorite in terms of the rich and complext fruity flavors.

“Productores de Peña” refers to the small farmers Sweet Maria’s (the speciality coffee trader based in Oakland, USA) are buying from in the area of Peña Blanca. This sub-municipality of La Libertad, is perched high in the mountainous region of Huehuetenango, many farms reaching as high as 2000 meters above sea level. This coffee is a joint-effort of a local micro-mill owner who is able to process and separate the micro-lots, and a highly sophisticated dry-mill who handle the finishing touches and export the coffees. Sweet Maria’s team put in quite a bit of work ourselves, tasting many rounds of samples in order to identify the premium-level coffees, as well as make several trips to the area each year meeting with farmers and collecting information. This coffee is sourced by “Proyecto Xinabajul” – an ethically sourcing program created by Sweet Maria’s in Guatemala.

This coffee offers a delicious mix of raw sugar sweetness and dark chocolate flavor accents when roasting to medium . A nice level of intensity in flavor is found in the medium to medium dark roast range that encompasses balance and a moderate level of acidity. As the cup cools off, the smokey roast tones fall away and you’re left with caramel sweetness, notes of flan, butterscotch custard, and a rich cocoa flavor that culminates in caramel-filled chocolate in the long aftertaste. Let it cool down some more, and you may pick up on dried fruited hints of currant and raisin.

• Origin: Guatemala
• Region: Peña Blanca, Huehuetenango
• Altitude: 2000m
• Cultivars: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, Typica
• Processing: Wet Process (Washed)
• Drying: Patio Sun-Dried
• Sourcing: Sweet Maria’s (Proyecto Xinabajul)