Episode 361 on Monday the 12th of October, 2015. Guatemala El Limon Washed Pacamara. - a podcast by Stephen Leighton

My friend in Guatemala has been buying from these guys for a couple of years now and was very keen for me to go meet them. Located around 1 hour's drive to the east of Guatemala City in the small town of Palencia, this farm sits at an altitude of around 1600 meters above sea level. It's owned by Guadalupe Alberto Reyes who used to be the Mayor of Palencia and has helped to build and develop the town.

Palencia is not part of the 8 regions of coffee from Anacafe, but you can see a lot of development in that zone. San Patricio el Limon is a perfect example of this. I like being in places that are working to be hot and up and coming, as well as those established players.

The farm produces mainly Cattura and Bourbon, and does some experimentation with Pacamara, ooh we like experimentation!

In fact the experimentation comes from the motivation of “Beto,” who in the last two years has really focused on the farm. He wanted to take more care in every step that they take, from picking to processing to shipping, and also the agronomy of the farm. This is very much a family affair, with his wife and son also working on the farm, along with siblings. In fact his son is actually studying agronomy at the local college, for the benefit of the farm.

The dedication and care in each step is reflected in that they have built up a new wet mill so they can separate different lots and have control over the quality of all the coffee. Previously the mill could just process one lot, now they are able to process many lots and keep separate day's pickings and varietals in their parcels.

With this wet mill came another opportunity, which was for neighbours and people within the region of Palencia to bring their coffees and the process them. Again another sign this is a hot spot for Guatemalan coffee.

When I visited the farm Beto was the perfect host, welcoming me around the farm and into his home, and he prepared the most amazing meal. When you travel as much as I do, mid-trip you find yourself longing for something big and home cooked and not from a restaurant or roadside pop-up cafe. This traditional Guatemalan meal was just the ticket and I am sure it saved my life.

But more importantly you can tell this is a farm on the up. A farm on top of their game. Every question was dispatched with exactly the right answer, every suggestion was listened to and taken on board, and in the coming years, I think this will be one of the most exciting relationships we have.

This comes from a small and experimental lot of Pacamara.  Last year we had some for the first time after the year before Beto had already sold it all, this year I'm super excited to have it back for a second time!

So in the cup this starts off just like the washed Caturra, with big sweet creamy milk chocolate, and a wonderful fresh green apple acidity. The difference comes in the aftertaste, gooseberry and green grape with a big caramel aftertaste.

• Country: Guatemala


• Region: Palencia


• Farm: San Patricio El Limon


• Farmer: Guadalupe Alberto Reyes


• Altitude: 1,600 m.a.s.l.


• Variety: Pacamara


• Processing System: Washed

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