Marcelo Perez, Guatemala

Tucked into Guatemala’s rugged western highlands, Huehuetenango is one of the country’s most celebrated coffee-growing regions. Its coffees are renowned for their lively acidity, balanced sweetness, and smooth body. Most of the region’s coffee comes from smallholder farmers who carefully hand-pick ripe cherries and process them on their own micro-mills.

One such farmer is Marcelo Pérez Pablo, a member of the ASDEFLOR Association (Coffee Flower Development Association). Marcelo’s coffees are praised for their approachable, highly “drinkable” profile. Rather than pursuing experimental processes, he focuses on strong fundamentals: thoughtful varietal selection, high- altitude cultivation, washed processing, and meticulous post-harvest care.

At the association’s wet mill, Marcelo ferments his coffee without water in open ceramic tanks for two to three days before drying it partially on raised beds and partially on patios. In the cup, we find stone-fruit flavours of nectarine and plum, balanced with notes of milk chocolate and hazelnut. Though this is our first year purchasing Marcelo’s coffee, it already stands out as one of the finest Guatemalan lots we’ve tasted.