El Matasano

A Rich, Comforting Guatemalan from the High Farms of Huehuetenango

Toffee, chocolate and baked fruit - built for milk and espresso.

Grown by Samuel Barrios on Finca El Matasano in Cuilco, Huehuetenango, between 2,000 and 2,200m - some of the highest coffee land in Guatemala. Barrios farms a mix of Bourbon, Caturra, Catimor, Maragogype and Pache alongside the native forest he works to protect, washing and drying the cherry for a clean, layered cup. We roast it developed for body: the dense, high-grown beans and big Maragogype reward heat, turning malic apple acidity into jammy baked fruit and a deep toffee-and-chocolate sweetness. Rich in milk, smooth as espresso.

Espresso Espresso - this medium-roast coffee pulls sweet and syrupy, with toffee, chocolate and baked apple. Made for milk.

Recipe: 18–20 g in → 36–40 g out (1:2), 27–32 seconds, water at 92 °C.

For this coffee: grind a touch finer for a thicker, chocolatey shot - it shines in a flat white or latte.

Recipe: 20 g coffee : 300 g water (1:15), coarse grind, water at 92 °C.

For this coffee: for a sweeter, rounder cup, make pour 1 smaller (40 g) and pour 2 bigger - it deepens the chocolate and body.

French Press French press - full-bodied and rich, perfect for this style.

Recipe: 30 g coffee : 450 g water (1:15), coarse grind, water at 94 °C.

Method: steep 4 minutes, break the crust and skim, then decant after ~8 minutes.

Recipe: medium-fine grind; fill the basket level (don't tamp); pre-boiled water to just below the valve; low–medium heat.

Method: pull off the heat at the first gurgle and cool the base under the tap to stop extraction.