Guatemala - David Batres

Raspberry x Apple x Grapefruit

Region: Monteverde, Santa Rosa Variety: Tekisic Altitude: 1720m Process: Natural Producer: David Batres Farm: Batres II

Allow us to introduce David Batres, a 4th generation coffee producer. He is Quebecois, born in Montreal, yes indeed, Quebecois! He shares with us that from a young age, he dreamt of entering the coffee industry, but always put this small project on hold until now.

In 2021, he moved to Guatemala to reunite with his family. Witnessing the poor conditions of coffee producers, he decided to find a way to process his coffee for better yields, and subsequently offer better wages and conditions to his workers.

David prepared himself by taking a level 1 coffee course offered by CQI in 2022. This year, he secured two places in the competition in Guatemala in Jalapa, Jutiapa, and Santa Rosa, ranking #6 and #3 respectively for the best honey-processed coffees with scores of 88 and 88.63.

Today, we present to you his natural process.

Coffee Information

The coffee is harvested at a maturity level between 21 and 27 on the Brix degree scale. Harvesting takes place from 5 am to 3 pm. After this step, the coffee is weighed at the farm and then transported from the mountains to the drying area located at an altitude of 990 meters in Quesada, Jutiapa, Guatemala.

Upon arrival in the drying area, the coffee is immersed in water. Grains of lower density and lower quality are removed. Next, the coffee cherries are spread out on raised beds to form a thin layer, facilitating the start of the drying process and allowing excess water to drain. Once the coffee is dry and of a moderately hard texture (about 18 hours later), it is gathered into a bed of 2 to 3 cherries in height. These beds are raised again, but this time in the shade, preserving the cherries from excessive exposure to sunlight (at temperatures below 38°C). Additionally, this promotes the development of fruity flavors and allows for a slow fermentation.

The coffee is moved every hour from 9 am to 4 pm. From 11 am to 1 pm, it is arranged in a pyramid shape to limit its exposure to direct sunlight and heat. Every day at 4 pm, the coffee is wrapped with thick plastic bags to prevent rehydration and ensure it stays dry throughout the night. Every morning at 9 am, the plastic bags are removed to restart the drying process. This entire process is repeated until the desired moisture level is achieved.

This coffee was harvested on February 23rd, laid out on beds the same day, and reached a moisture content of 11% on March 20th, after a total of 25 days of drying. It was then stored in Ecotact bags at the warehouse for 1 to 2 months.