Guatemala
Santiago Morales

Santiago grows primarily Red Pache and Bourbon varieties but also explores the creation of hybrids. The high altitude of his farm (1900 masl) is one of the key factors for quality coffee production—alongside climate and land composition. We find flavours of green apple, pear and grape.

Washed process Bourbon, Catimor, Caturra, Maragogype, Pache

Flavour: green apple, pear, grape

Body: Acidity:

Roast: omni (filter + espresso)

Santiago Morales owns Finca El Mirador in Santa Barbara, an area with many beautiful coffee farms in Huehuetenango. He primarily grows Red Pache and Bourbon varieties but also explores the creation of hybrids. Morales works to maintain the coffee area already planted and the native forest of their environment. Coffee growing is his livelihood and he takes great care to produce quality coffee.

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

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Our packaging

Farm/Coop: Finca El Mirador
Country: Guatemala
Region: Santa Barbara, Huehuetenango
Altitude: 1900m above sea level
Varieties: Bourbon, Catimor, Caturra, Maragogype, and Pache
Process: washed
Harvested: March 2024
Importer: Cafe Imports
Body
Acidity
Tasting notes: Green apple, pear, grape
Roast style: Omni (filter + espresso)

Varieties

Bourbon variety

A natural mutation of the Typica varietal, Bourbon is named after Reunion Island (then known as Il Bourbon) where the French cultivated the Typica plants which naturally mutated.

Catimor variety

A hybrid variety of the Caturra and the Timor Hybrid (resistant to coffee leaf rust due to its Robusta genetic roots).

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.

Maragogype variety

Maragogype is a natural mutation of Typica, named after the town in which it was discovered – Maragogipe, Brazil.

Pache variety

Pache is a natural mutation of Typica, originally discovered in Guatemala in farms of El Brito, Santa Cruz Naranjo and Santa Rosa.

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.

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.