Las Minas – Guatemala

Finca Las Minas received its name because of the rich minerals in the region and its history of mining - Edgar grew up listening to his grandparents tell about green jade in the nearby mines. This farm is situated in the famously rainy New Oriente region of Guatemala, near the border with Honduras. Cobán is the most remote of Guatemala’s coffee regions, and the furthest north in the department of Alta Verapaz. This region experiences year-round rain that defines life there. The misty rain is called Chipichipi in the Q’eqchi’ language. Harvesting and transporting coffee can be difficult when the roads get washed out. But the rains ensure a slow coffee maturation period, creating Coban’s characteristic sweet and complex cup profile.

The rainy climate makes it difficult to dry coffees, and thus problematic for a quality-focused grower like Edgar. Once the coffee is washed it is sent to dry in the more arid Chiquimula region in order to ensure top quality, where African-style raised beds are used to complete the drying process to proper specifications.