Guatemala CoE: Lot#: 8 Martinez Pineda, Edwin - Vista Hermosa

Our friends at Finca Vista Hermosa scored an 8th place finish at this years Cup of Excellence auction netting $8.05/lb for green coffee. A big congratulations goes out to them and hopes for continued success going forward.

I just called Eddie to congratulate him and look forward to how they will advance after this big step in justifying their green quality. I was lucky enough to visit the Martinez family during this years harvest as part of the barista origin trip.


Photo by Gabe Rodriguez

Rumor has it, a gutsy Barista will take some FVH to the competitions. We commend this brave soul as long as a bag gets sent our way to taste!

It's in the soil... and the climate

When we first made the turn to the road leading to the farm, we were told by Edwin Sr., 'don't get your hopes up about the pavement.' He was right, of course. While the early few meters were all nicely paved and surrounded by trimmed trees, it quickly became more forested areas as we moved up where the roads were bumpy and provided a more raucous ride. Mind you, it's not jungle as our late arriving colleagues opined, that would be in the lowlands, it was forest with some evergreen and mixed in the occasional bamboo clump.

One of the things that struck me the most as we headed up the mountains to the farm was how different the lower lands were compared to the higher altitudes. As we journeyed the final leg of our expedition to the farm with a beautiful view, we passed several other farms on the way up. It was these farms at the lower altitudes that looked so different than what we would see higher up. It's hard to explain, but as we followed our bumpy road twisting up the mountains in our little bus, the vegetation began to change and so did the look of the coffee trees planted around us.

We stopped at several points and really began to get a feeling for just how high up we were and how truly massive the mountains are in Huehuetenango(pronounced wayway... not hueyhuey).



It was not until later, as brave explorer Tristen was taking GPS measurements with farm manager Carlos from different areas of the farm, that we got a better handle on what kind of variations lay on each lot. From 5000ft to 7000ft with new plantings pushing even higher. Needless to say, we were impressed by the altitude and are certain it warranted the rating Super Hard Bean.

The altitude of these mountains also spoke to another feature you may not notice unless you spent an early morning at the farm. I remember the first morning sitting on the porch watching the sun slowly creep over and down the mountain, filling some crevices and restraining from lighting others. It moved over bit by bit until creeping up the porch and onto my lap. I realized then that the side of the ridge behind us may not get any sun for at least an hour more and then it dawned on me how each part of this mountain could get very different rain and sun. All those steep crevices and ridges presented different shade and rainfall options. Just looking at some of the slopes made you wonder how anyone could harvest some of these coffees without tumbling down the mountain or sliding off in the mud every time it rains.



It is the soil on the mountains that seems a funny thing to me. It sparked more than a few memories of childhood traipsing through the corn fields or running in the mountains. I remember when growing up in the hills of Appalachia in Southwest Virginia where the soil was clay and stuck to your shoes in intolerable clods. Then there were areas of the mountains where it just was different for whatever reason and darker richer soil or rockier sandier soil would suddenly prevail. In these mountains of Huehue, some areas were more like clay while others were darker and richer in color lacking that reddish hue. In some areas, large chunks of volcanic rock were laying around to remind us of the region's tumultuous past. After trekking up and down those trails, I'm sure more than one of us came a bit too close to the soil while barreling down those paths though I was lucky enough to avoid ending up with a terroir encounter.

So if you ever wonder why some of us out there opine about the value of micro lots and smaller and smaller units for the coffee, it largely has to do with the land. There might be a great lot out there where some perfect set of soil and shade comes together with just the right amount of rain to produce some tiny bit of perfection. Or so I imagine, as I am still dreaming about sitting on that porch as the sun creeps down the mountain while I enjoy the beautiful view.

Familia Martinez: Mi Casa es su Casa...

This is a coffee site but to begin to talk about this trip to Guatemala is to talk about people because this was a trip that became a lot more than just a group of coffee people getting together.


It has been an amazing experience of growth and realization. A journey that lasted only a week but the conversations were epic and the friendships were intense. Eugenia said to me the last day that coffee attracts a lot of weird people but I have to say it seemed to attract a lot of good, sincere, and honest people that week in particular. There were people from all over, different political views and religious views, but when it came to coffee, we were all ready to learn something. Topics were debated with an open mind and willingness to see the other side of any argument. There were no 'hipsters' or 'rock stars' demanding attention, just a solid group of characters that created something I will never forget.
I have not seen this level of camaraderie before in coffee and I feel a bit of sadness in having to let go of that moment.


Edwin Sr. says that the chemistry of groups like this is luck, they only happen every now and then when you can mix anyone into any room with another and the conversations may last all night. I will miss those group settings after meals where Sr. would sit us down for the day and tell a story or ask us to share something about the trip. The late night conversations about what if. It was like our own little family.
Looking back now, I think we were all a bit crazy, staying up all night talking, sick as a dog, discussing what we had seen and our past experiences. It seems like a long dream, a bit surreal to me in many ways.


We traveled up the mountains and back down many times through Huehuetenango, Antigua, and Guatemala City with Edwin Sr. and Eddy as our guides. They were open and honest with opinions while sharing more information than we could ever ask. They showed us the patios, the land, the plants, the city, the history, the dry mill, Anacafe, and most of all, they showed us the people there in a way I imagine few could. No matter what question was asked or how tough it may have been to answer, they told us everything we could absorb.


For those who attended that week, there will be stories told for a long time to come. Rightfully so, it was an amazing journey that made long time friends and spurred ideas and debates that will be fodder for Aaron and me for a long time to come.
I truly consider any of them a friend I would welcome any time here in Cambridge.

Edwin Martinez on fermentation: The critical point in processing

Photo Courtesy of Edwin Martinez

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"The above picture remains in my opinion the start of what is ultimately the critical point for most estates in Guatemala, be it 1/4 of an acre or a few thousand acres. It is in my opinion quite an achievement in the development of coffee (particularly for a country that is so much smaller than Colombia or Brazil) to have such a high level of consistency and quality control exercised by all even the smallest growers who have less than 1/4 of an acre. The conflict with fermentation is that if one crosses the line and goes too far, the coffee is ruined as “over fermentation” is in fact the worst and most identifiable defect." -Edwin Martinez
Read the full discussion here

Edwin's recent post on fermentation gives great insight into this process and his undeniable commitment to quality while his recent gutsy post on the professionals only coffee forum coffeed.com showed his intense commitment and dedication to the betterment of his community.

Fermentation is a touchy subject, but it really needs to be addressed and people really need be made aware of just how much labor, skill, water quality issues, and costs are associated with a good washed process coffee when compared with traditional naturals.

Edwin adds, "These topics aren’t for those who want to look over and see what the next guy is doing rather (it's) for those who want to define the cutting edge and are willing to go out on a limb risking falling on (their) face in the genuine pursuit of excellence." We agree, and believe those are the topics we want to cover and see others cover in the future but are very curious who the rookies are that Edwin speaks of!

A whole-hearted Barismo.com crew endorsement of Edwin "commit to excellence and quality with out compromise" Martinez as he is quickly rising the ladder to the top of our coffee champions list.

Finca Vista Hermosa via Brown Coffee Co

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"The lot that Aaron (Brown Coffee Co.) has I believe is from El Eden which means Eden. I think it was my aunt Delmi that gave this parcel it's name after the Garden of Eden in the Bible because it has two springs on it that yield 2 creeks that end up merging and it reminded her of the Tigris and Euphrates river in the middle east that is supposedly where the garden of Eden was. It is very very steep, but has great trees (non coffee) and of course the water and great partial exposure as it is it's own mini ridge...
This was 1 of 3 lots that Anacafe Awarded (the Martinez Family) earlier this year granting (them) the lock on this years supply to Ancafe for what they use to promote the region of Huehue with around the world at trade shows and such." - Edwin Martinez of Finca Vista Hermosa

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When we first cupped this coffee, we were largely interested in why it was so even and how it was so clean. It seemed that for this price, this coffee was a heck of a steal. It was so evenly sorted and so few visible defects that we couldn't believe the price. When I got the low down from Edwin, the quality we were seeing made sense. The coffee is solid because it comes from an area with potentially good terroir and they must take care of it in processing.

We cupped this coffee and got a satisfying experience. It was clean and sweet, the roast smoothed out and the cup clarified as it began to cool.

The cupping notes yielded a light layer of roast cocoa, mineral notes, dark sugar, and clean fruit toned acidity underneath. The coffee could go lighter because of it's quality, but I would not enjoy darker. The roast was part of the flavor balance and did not overwhelm the origin flavors allowing them to show through.

Making a snap judgement on this coffee was hard, but it really seemed I preferred the clarity of filter over french press in this case. The 'El Eden' was very representative of what I have come to associate with the good flavor characters of the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala and I will probably sample it again in the future.