new guat in the house

so i ran out of the first small batch of organic guatemala coban and have recently received a smallish batch of guatemala huehuetenango la maravilla estate. i roasted it the other day and cupped it the following day and it was really solid. nothing spectacular. but a typically strong guatemala: some good acidity balanced by a substantial mouthfeel. movement without being too racy.

i have long contended that sometimes specialty centrals are almost too good for their own good. because almost all are washed and then processed well they eliminate all the guesswork. this is a good thing. little to no defects are definitely desirable. and of course cup of excellence proves that no defects in the cup is a wholly worthwhile endeavor. but i miss the excitement generated by a dry process yemeni coffee, where the "blueberry" notes are likely defects in the cup. that wildness is what makes it so intriguing.

i digress. i'm finishing a small press i just made of the guatemala and i take back some of what i said above. this is an exciting coffee. it's complex and has subtle beauty. it's just constructed so well that you forget all the moving parts that had to execute nearly flawlessly for me to be "bored" with it.