Guatemala
Maravilla

Washed process Caturra

Flavour: sweet cherry, apple, toffee

Body: Acidity:

In 1997 when Guillermo Rosales and his son Mauricio purchased this land he named it La Maravilla (The Marvel). Back then the 22 hectare farm had just three arabica coffee trees. Together they planted the first 1.2 hectares of coffee with 2,500 seedlings, along with more trees which were donated by their neighbours.

La Maravilla is situated in the village of Los Arroyos, which was accessible only by foot or horseback and at the time had no electricity This meant plants, supplies and construction materials for the farm were carried in and out by mule, making their early work costly.

They continued to sew around 2.5 hectares of coffee per year with bourbon and caturra from excellent stock from nearby regions Over the years they’ve constructed a drying patio and obtained the equipment to wet-process their own coffee: two key factors in improving quality and earning a better return for the farm.

The family, with the support of nearby producers and the Los Arroyos community, has worked tirelessly through years of fluctuating coffee prices to improve their infrastructure and purchase more land to plant coffee.

Sadly in 2005 Guillermo Rosales passed away aged 82, but with a strong legacy for his family, who’ve continued producing fantastic coffees.

We’re proud to share and support their work at La Miravella, with this harvest coming to us all the way from Guatemala, and now to you.

Huehuetenango

La Maravilla is in the Huehuetenango region in the north of Guatemala alongside the Mexican border.

It’s the highest and driest of three non-volcanic regions of Guatemala. Warm, dry winds from the Mexican plains of Tehuantepec blow towards the region, offering the crops some protection from frost.

Coffee is the main export of the region, and as we’s already seen from the Rosales’s story, the rugged terrain and remoteness means most producers process their own crops.

Caturra

This coffee is the Caturra varietal, which is a natural mutation of the Bourbon varietal, and first found in the town of Caturra in Brasil.

Caturra is a shorter plant than Bourbon, which is one of the reasons it produces a higher yield. It’s also more disease resistant than older traditional varietals.

Continuing the process of cross-breeding, Caturra has since been crossed with Catimor to produce the Catuai varietal.

Learn everything about this coffee:

Ethical, traceable sourcing

This page has all the sourcing information (variety, process, region, story, importer, and more) that our importers share with us, and give us permission to use.

The transparency helps us talk confidently about the quality and background of our product, and it helps you know exactly what you’re buying.

Learn more:
Coffee page transparency legend
Our coffee philosophy
Our business approach

Fresh harvest coffee

We only source and roast coffee from each country’s latest harvest season (so the green coffee is never older than 1 year from the time of picking, processing and packing). This ensures the sensory qualities are always at their peak and unaffected by excessive ageing.

Roasted for espresso and filter (best enjoyed black)

Roast style: omni. Omni roasts are designed to brew and taste great both as espresso and filter. Our omni single origins generally sit on Agtron values in the ~70-60 value range. So, technically, they are somewhere in the lighter side of the medium spectrum.

Designed for espresso and filter brewing. Best enjoyed black.

Learn more:
Our Loring Kestrel S35 roaster
Our roasting style and approach

Best brewed within days 15-49 post-roast

The ‘fresh is best’ saying doesn’t apply to coffee (contrary to popular belief). Waiting before opening and brewing your bag of whole coffee beans helps develop peak flavour and acidity.

But heads up: if you buy pre-ground coffee, brew it as soon as possible.

Learn more:
Our recommended brewing window

Try our custom brewing recipes

Our recipes and ratios are tailored to our coffee sourcing and roasting styles, bringing the best flavour and feel out of each coffee.

For pour over, immersion, and other filter brewing styles, check our brew guides.
For our espresso single origins, we recommend a coffee:yield ratio of 1:3:

Dose: 20g ground coffee
Yield: 60g espresso
Total brew time: ~24-28 seconds

This is just a starting point! We encourage you to experiment, taste, and adjust to find the recipe that you enjoy the most.

Learn more:
Our espresso brew guide (single origin)
Brewing ratio calculator

Packaging and sustainability

Bags: ABA-certified home compostable (AS 5810-2010)
Labels: recyclable
Valves (only on +250g bags): general waste
Box and tape (online orders): recyclable

Learn more:
Our packaging

Producer: Mauricio Rosales
Country: Guatemala
Region: Huehuetenango
Altitude: 1650 - 1800m above sea level
Variety: Caturra
Process: washed
Body: Medium
Acidity: Medium
Tasting notes: Sweet cherry, apple, toffee
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Variety

Caturra variety

Caturra is a natural mutation of Bourbon that was originally discovered in Brazil in 1937, considered to be the first naturally occurring mutation ever discovered.

The location

Coffee from Guatemala

Guatemala’s production of coffee first grew in the 1860s on the back of a declining indigo trade, which had previously existed as it’s main export. Up until 2011 Guatemala was in the top 5 highest producing coffees nations in the world, before being overtaken by Honduras.

The Huehuetenango region of Guatemala

A non-volcanic region of Guatemala characterised by high altitude and predictable climate. Often considered to produce the highest quality coffee in Guatemala

Farm processes

Washed process

Machines are used to remove the flesh from the coffee cherry before being fermented in water, washed again, and finally sun dried. This process tends to result in more distinct, cleaner flavours.