Guatemala Huehuetenango -El Injerto

Sweet Maria's Coffee

Once again Finca El Injerto has that solid, classic quality cup character this year, as it did in 2003. Injerto, in a way, reminds me of what an Antigua should be, but 9 out of 10 times is not. Injerto has really has the structure, the classic Guatemala character, the acidity, that Antigua rarely has now. Ironic that a very nice Antigua doesn't come from there...but then again brokers are talking about fraud in the high-priced Antigua region anyway (shipping in Acatenango and Fraijanes and selling them as Antigua). A while back we stocked the 100% Bourbon coffee from Injerto, meaning that all the trees are of the coffea arabica var. bourbon that was a spontaneous mutation of the arabica species first brought to the New World. (Incidentally, it was brought by the French to Reunion Island which was then called Bourbon). The seed is small and rounded, the trees grow in a way that is great for quality but not as sun-tolerant or easy to pick as other modern hybrids. I visited the farm and had a discussed the merits of single-Varietal coffees with Sr. Aguierre, owner and agronomist at El Injerto. This year you will see about 40% Bourbon. Why? Because the coffee of mixed cultivars cupped better. plain and simple. Just as a vineyard will blend grapes grown from different parts of the farm, a coffee Finca that grows each cultivar separately can then blend the different arabica types in a controlled way to produce the best cup. I know of few farms that grow in this way...only El Injerto, Mesa de los Santos and the Lerida Estate come to mind. The cup this year is exemplary, a solid, well-structured, shimmering bright profile... exactly what a great Huehuetenango should be, and what El Injerto embodies when it is a good year. This is it; assertive brightness, classic balance between sweetness, acidity, and a hint of salt (seriously, it is not a bad thing!) and bittersweet... in other words, this cup has elements of all 4 basic primary flavor groups. The roast tastes range from toasted malt at the City roast I cupped, to pralines at City+, to tangy bittersweet chocolate hints at my Full City roast. There are subtle citric hints, green herbal qualities in the finish, and aforementioned bittersweets striking the centerline of the tongue in the long aftertaste. Lighter roasts have sweet malt caramel roast taste. Given that our other solid Huehue. performer (Huixoc) was a "no-show" in terms of cup character, lordy I was thrilled to cup this great El Injerto this year!

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