The Guatemalan “Andres Ramirez” coffee from the Berlin roastery The Barn first greets you with a pleasant milk chocolate sweetness, complemented by fruity notes of ripe plums and a slightly buttery flavor of pecans. As it cools, notes of dried fruit and a subtle hint of citrus also emerge. The result is a smooth, sweet, and beautifully balanced coffee that will delight anyone who prefers a subtler fruitiness over pronounced acidity.
Behind this coffee is Andres Ramirez, a first-generation grower who, together with his wife, runs the Yich Kalnahl farm in Guatemala’s Huehuetenango region. Their small farm, covering just 1.2 hectares, is located near the town of Concepción Huista at an elevation of 1,600 meters above sea level. The farm is surrounded by dense forests and mountains, while banana trees and native trees provide natural shade for the coffee plants. Thanks to the cooler microclimate, with temperatures ranging from 13 to 26 °C, the coffee cherries can ripen more slowly and gradually develop their full flavor potential. Although Andrés is the first generation to grow coffee, the entire process is truly a family affair.
The coffee consists of two traditional varieties, Caturra and Catuai, which are particularly popular in Central and South America. The beans undergo a washed processing method, which is overseen on the farm by Andres’s wife. After harvest, the skin and most of the pulp are removed from the cherries, and the beans are submerged in water, where they undergo a 32-hour fermentation. During this process, the remnants of the sweet mucilage clinging to the beans gradually break down. The coffee is then thoroughly washed and spread out on a concrete drying area, where it dries for 7 days, approximately 8 hours a day. By turning the beans regularly, the family ensures even drying. It is precisely this careful washed processing and longer fermentation that help create its clean, sweet, and pleasantly complex flavor profile.
- Producer / Farmer: Andres Ramirez
- Farm: Yich Kalnahl
- Elevation: 1,600 m above sea level