Perched high in Guatemala’s rugged western highlands, the region of Huehuetenango is celebrated as the jewel of Guatemalan coffee. Its mountainous landscape reaches elevations up to 2,000 meters, with cool winds from Mexico’s Tehuantepec plain protecting coffee trees from frost.

Huehuetenango’s extreme altitude and limestone-rich soils enable the slow maturation of coffee cherries, promoting exceptional sweetness and clarity in the cup. Most producers are indigenous families working small plots of land, passing down techniques over generations.

This region is prized for its strictly hard bean coffees, which are denser, more flavorful, and capable of producing remarkable acidity and vibrancy. Huehuetenango coffees are often fully washed, using pristine mountain water from rivers and springs.

The cup profile is lively and complex: expect layers of bright apple or citrus, brown sugar or caramel, and subtle floral or cocoa undertones. Each village or micro-lot offers diversity, often with a slight winey sweetness or tropical fruit finish.

Modern cooperatives in Huehuetenango play an essential role, providing farmer education, quality control, and access to international buyers. These organizations help producers with organic and Rainforest Alliance certification, as well as implementing social welfare programs in local communities.

Harvest season occurs from December to April, with careful cherry selection and multi-stage hand sorting, which delivers only the ripest fruit for washing and drying.

Coffees are typically patio-dried under the intense mountain sun, then carefully milled and graded for export. The region’s distinct dry/cold microclimate means even natural process lots are possible, but washed is most common.

Huehuetenango consistently wins accolades in international competitions, and specialty buyers seek its coffees for their clarity and sweetness. Top micro-lots can score upward of 89 points on the cupping table.