Ilse Coffee

Guatemala | Juan Rodriguez Cano

Juan Rodriguez Cano grows this field blend at 1700 MASL in El Volcancito, Santa Rosa, where he manages El Colmenar—a 1.2-hectare farm inherited from his mother. The washed process begins with ripe cherry selection, sealed-bag fermentation for 24 hours, then depulping followed by a 36-hour dry ferment before 13 days on raised beds. The cup is flavorful and punchy with ripe stone fruit: peach, poached plum, and apple butter layered with nougaty sweetness. Juan is a land defender—president of "Guardians of Nature" and active in Café Colis Resistencia, protecting his community's forest from mining threats.