This week I had the chance to cup a really fantastic coffee from the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala.  This particular coffee was produced with the assistance of Slow Food International, a nonprofit group dedicated to counteracting the "fast food movement."  With their first project in the coffee world, Slow Food helped to organize a Presidium in Huehuetenango.  A Presidium is an organized group of producers similiar to a cooperative.  Our friends over at Cafe Imports that introduced me to this coffee had this to say about it:

"The Presidium producers work to protect both the health of the local environment and the well-being of the producers and their families. In addition, producers are committed to maintaining and improving the quality of the coffee they produce, and educational workshops and technical training help to give producers a better understanding of the factors that affect the quality of coffee."

The story intrigued me, so I decided to give it a try.  I put it on the cupping table against some other Guatemalan coffees and definitely preffered the Slow Food Guatemalan to the others.  It was incredibly smooth and balanced with sweet notes of chocolate and nuts.  I got hints of fruit, which is always a big plus to me. 

I'm currently doing some experimenting with this coffee to see where we might be able to fit it in...perhaps Harvest Blend?  Stay tuned to see.

Sip Slowly,
Steve