Gardenia

Finca La Gardenia sits at around 1,900 masl in the mountains of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, and Eddy Macdonald has been producing coffee here for many years. Preserving the surrounding landscape is at the heart of the farm’s operations. Eddy and his family maintain a diverse mix of trees, animals and birds, and make sure coffee production never contaminates the nearby spring water.

Eddy is one of the more established producers in Huehuetenango, which gives him the freedom to experiment with both varieties and processing. He produces a whole host of single-variety microlots, including Caturra, Bourbon, Marsellesa, Pacamara and Gesha. All are naturally processed, which is unusual in a region where producers are generally hesitant to move away from washed coffees. This lot is Marsellesa, a cross of Sarchimor and Caturra that combines strong disease resistance with a complex, fruit-forward cup.

The cherries are picked at peak ripeness and set out to dry on the patio about four hours after harvest. For the first five days they dry in the sun from 9 AM to 3 PM, turned by hand every hour to dry evenly. They then move to African-style raised beds, where they dry from 9 AM to 4 PM, still turned hourly. After 22 days of drying in total, the coffee is rested in clean sacks until it is ready to ship.

We love Guatemalan coffees from the Huehue region. They tend to be mellow, sweet and easy drinking, with a stone fruit character, and this natural Marsellesa leans into that with a little extra fruit complexity. It’s comfort in a cup, something you can keep coming back to, because sometimes it’s nice not to be overwhelmed by your morning coffee and just appreciate the subtleties of a coffee.