Boots on the ground Guatamala.

To say it was a long road to Huehuetengo would be quite an understatement. Two flights, 2 hours of sleep, and a 4am bus ride of a lifetime. We were on our way to Finca Vista Hermosa, (beautiful view) to spend 24 hours with Edwin Martinez: a third generation coffee farmer, exporter, and importer of some of the world’s most coveted coffees. 

Pictured here: The HELL bus, as Christian called it. 

Despite the trying expedition, we made it; and man it was indeed a beautiful view...

Our intention was also to visit La Esperanza, a farm in the Huehuetengo we had worked with the previous season. Our hope was to develop a long-standing relationship with La Esperanza, however, upon visiting the farm we were a bit disappointed. Parts of the farm were being sold and there seemed a general lack of attention to the land. Leaving there a bit discouraged, we stopped for a soda at a small farm owned by the Mendez family.  Francisco & his father gave us a tour.   This serendipitous encounter with the Mendez’ family had a lot of promise, and we were eager to see if the coffee quality was parallel to their passion and care for their farm. 

The following morning we blindly cupped over 30 coffees from various farms in the region. Christian and I discussed our favorites, which turned out to be La Joyada & El Barranco, both of which came from--you guessed it--Francisco Mendez's lots. 

We are so excited to serve Francisco’s coffee at Spyhouse. Look out for it this summer!