Guatemala Black Honey Microlot

Cupping Notes

We are so excited to bring the Peregrine Family another special offering!

Some would consider Guatemalan coffee to be "boring" or even "one note" at times. We believe this characterization to be unfair. Guatemalan coffee should be more appropriately deemed "consistent.” It is consistent in its approachable flavor, low(er) levels of acidity, and availability in the worldwide coffee marketplace.

All that being said, we understand this common sentiment.  A standard, washed process Guatemalan coffee is often a dead giveaway at the cupping table. It’s not always an exciting origin for this reason; some may call it  "predictable.” If that’s what you’ve thought before, prepare to have your expectations absolutely defied.

Introducing: Guatemala Black Honey Microlot
Due to advances in coffee processing methods, coffees like Black Honey are becoming more and more common in Central and South America.

Compared to a natural process or a washed process (the two dominant types of processes), a honey process lands somewhere in between, striking a great balance. During the honey process, coffee is stripped of its outermost portions and left to dry in its "mucilage"—in my words, like a partial, halfway natural process. The result is a clean flavor with plenty of fruit sweetness.

Let's dive into what we're tasting.

Brownie Batter. There is an inescapable and distinct chocolate note present in this coffee (surprise!), but it is incredibly exciting to us. The chocolate note present is rich, fudgy, and almost salty like a brownie batter.
Salted Caramel. Playing off of that, it isn't too far out in left field when I mention salted caramel either. This coffee is pleasantly salty and sweet.
Grape Jam. In addition to being remarkably sweet, this coffee has a noticeably thick and oily body. We think the fruity sweetness most closely resembles grape and paired with the body, grape jam made the most sense to us.