Waykan Regional

The Regional Select program was created to highlight the unique profiles we have found that are inherent to various microclimates in many of the countries from which we source green coffee. Local variables like wind patterns, soil quality, sunlight, elevation, and other environmental influencers have much to do with the common characteristics that separate, say, a Northern Colombian from a Southern Colombian coffee, just as they inform the differences between a Colombian and a Kenyan.

For our Regional Select offerings, we source based on cup quality and character, seeking a balance of “taste of place” with availability and price. These lots are built as blends from coffees that cup out between 84–87 on our 100-point cupping scale, and come with regional and often microregional traceability, but are not farm- or producer-specific.

Our Waykan offerings are chosen for their pristine example of the dynamic character of coffees from Huehuetenango, with their crisp acidity reminiscent of lemon, grape, or apple, and a balance of toffee and sweet nuts, like almond. In the Maya Q’qnjobal dialect in the region, “waykan” means “star, or light that shines in the sky at night.” The indigenous population in and around Huehuetenango plays a large role in the coffee production here, and coffee accounts either directly or indirectly for roughly 80 percent of the local economy.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲𝗿: Producers growing coffee in Huehuetenango

𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆: Bourbon, Catimor, Caturra, Maragogype, Pache

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴: Described by the producer as "washed" process. The Washed process varies greatly across the growing regions of Guatemala due in large part to the different terroir and terrain that exists from place to place there, but for the most part the primary difference in style is in the length of time that the coffee is allowe to ferment. Generally speaking, coffee is picked ripe and depulped the same or the following day, then allowed to ferment for anywhere between 12–48 hours, depending on the climate. The coffee is then washed clean of its mucilage and spread on patios or raised beds to dry.

When you buy this product, mangrove trees are planted on your behalf in either Madagascar, Mozambique, or Kenya. This gives crucial income to local villagers so they can provide for their families.

Mangrove forests are essential coastal ecosystems. They store four times as much carbon as even tropical rainforest, making them an important tool to mitigate climate change.