Guatemala Patzibir - Lake Atitlan - Washed

We Taste - Almond cake, cherry-vanilla, tropical

Volcán Tolimán and two neighboring volcanoes comprise the Lake Atitlán caldera, forming steep escarpments around the lake that define the area's unique terroir. Both beneficial and difficult to farm, extreme inclines present erosion and weather challenges. Clouds rising off the lake are slowed by the volcanic cliffs, increasing humidity and reducing sunlight around the Coffea arabica trees. Fifth-generation producer Andrés Fahsen overcomes these obstacles on Finca Patzibir through agro-forestry.

Agro-forestry involves intercropping with trees. Fahsen uses the naturally existing Patzibir as shade for his arabica coffee varieties. “Patzibir” translates from the Kaqchikel language as “where the Tzibir tree lives”. The shade trees are interspersed and pruned with a little distance between, allowing an ideal amount of sunlight to cut through the recurrent fog. As a bonus, Patzibir roots reduce soil erosion, as do terracing the farm's slopes and interplanting long-root grasses. The coffee trees themselves are planted further apart to allow for more sunlight to reach the lower branches. Appropriate spacing permits the wind to dehumidify the damp air around the plants, avoiding molds and fungi.

The cherry harvested at Patzibir is processed in the city of Antigua, at the wet mill of Los Volcanes Coffee, a processor, quality consultant, and exporter from whom Royal buys a wide variety of coffees. At Los Volcanes’ wet mill, cherry is delivered daily throughout harvest where it is sorted for uniformity, depulped, and fermented for up to 48 hours in a covered, temperature-controlled warehouse of ceramic tanks. Los Volcanes employs dedicated processing managers calibrated to a combination of temperature and smell to manage precise degrees of fermentation and maintain consistency across batches of varying volumes, temperatures, and humidity levels. After fermentation is complete, parchment is passed through a pressurized water siphon for cleaning and density grading, and then dried on the site’s large patio or in mechanical dryers. As batches of parchment finish drying throughout the harvest, the Los Volcanes team works with each individual lot in their cupping lab, blind-tasting and building harmonious lots by producer or region, for international sale. 

Roast: Light-Medium
Process: Washed, Patio Dried
Varieties: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, Typica
Elevation: 1475-1600 masl
Farm Land: San Lucas Tolimán, Sololá, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
Farm: Finca Patzibir, 56-hectare
Farmers: Andrés Fahsen, 5th-generation coffee producer
Producer: La Esperanza Mill / Los Volcanes Coffee in Antigua
Grades / Certifications: SHB EP, Organic
Harvest: Nov. 2024 - Feb. 2025

Brew Guides
Espresso: 1:2.4 in 28-29 sec.
Filter: 1:16.6